Today is election day, and while you may or may not have a candidate to vote for depending on where you live, all Texans will get the opportunity to vote for 17 constitutional amendments. Why are there so many?
"The answer is, when the constitution of 1876 was drafted, those who drafted it where very suspicious of centralized government" said Rice University professor, Mark Jones, "So they wanted to make sure that any changes that occurred had to have popular support."
Topping the list is Proposition 13, which raises the exemption of residence homesteads from ad valorem taxation by a school district from $100,000 to $140,000.
"The average home owner will probably save about $500 dollars a year if Proposition 13 passes" Jones told KTRH, adding that it will apply to school district taxes.
Another no brainer, is Proposition 16, that requires that all voters must be citizens of the United States, which is already a requirement to register to vote in the state of Texas.
"Texas law already prevents people who are not U.S. citizens from registering to vote" noted Jones, "So, Proposition 16 simply puts that into the constitution."
And then there is Prop 3, which requires leftist judges to deny bail under certain circumstances to persons accused of certain offenses punishable as a felony.
"This is an effort that's a response in part to some of the issues that have occurred in Harris County, where people who committed heinous acts were out on Bond" said Jones.
There is also an amendment (Proposition 15) which calls for parents to be the primary decision makers for their children.
The polls will be open until 7pm.
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