Austin Election Guide 2019: What's On The Ballot

AUSTIN, TX — Travis County residents will cast votes in Tuesday's election on a trio of citizen-created propositions along with 10 proposed state constitutional amendments.

There are two Austin-focused propositions on the ballot. Propositions A and B comprise citizen-led initiatives on the ballot as a result of locally generated petition drives while another is related to the hotel occupancy tax. In addition, voters will also weigh in on 10 state constitutional amendments.

Below are the Austin-specific propositions voters can expect to see on the ballot:

• Proposition A is one of the aforementioned citizen-led initiatives forced on the ballot via a petition drive that secured the needed number of signatures to be included. It aims to require a City Council super-majority and voter approval for the use of city-owned land for any sports or entertainment facility. Voters casting a ballot of "yes" would be in favor of these proposed requirements.
• Proposition B calls for a limit on how much the city's Hotel Occupancy Tax can be earmarked toward expanding the Austin Convention Center. The proposal calls for a cap of 34 percent in addition to requiring voter approval for enhancements to the convention center that would cost more than $20 million.

Voters also will cast ballots impacting Travis County as a whole. Travis County's Proposition A seeks to approve the county's role in collecting a 2-cent hotel occupancy tax to fund planned development at the Travis County Expo Center. Currently, the county does not collect hotel occupancy tax receipts.

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Statewide, voters will determine the fate of 10 proposed state amendments:

• Proposition 1 would allow elected municipal judges to serve in more than one city simultaneously. Currently, appointed municipal judges are allowed to perform across cities.
• Prop 2 would allow the Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) to issue up to $200 million in bonds to fund water and sewer projects in economically distressed areas.
• Prop 3 would allow the Legislature to temporarily exempt from property tax properties damaged in disasters. This would be based on future rules set by lawmakers.
• Prop 4 would prohibit the state from imposing or collecting an individual income tax.
• Prop 5 would automatically appropriate the state’s sales taxes on sporting goods to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and Texas Historical Commission. The aim is to provide a dedicated funding stream for parks and historic sites.
• Prop 6 would extend the life of the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas that was created by a 2007 amendment.
• Prop 7 would enable the release of up to $600 million annually of proceeds from the Permanent School Fund (the revenue from the state’s land and investments) to be distributed annually to schools. This would double the current constitutional maximum allowed.
• Prop 8 would create a special flood infrastructure fund for TWDB to use to finance local projects.
• Prop 9 would enable the Legislature to exempt precious metals held in a Texas depository from property taxes.
• Prop 10 would allow police dogs to be transferred to their handlers or others at no cost. Because such service animals are considered public property, law enforcement agencies aren't allowed to simply give them away to their handlers.

Registered Austin residents with an approved form of photo ID can cast their ballots wherever they see a “Vote Here” or "Vote Aqui" sign. Polling locations, ID information, and a sample ballot can be viewed on the Travis County Clerk website. Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Travis County Sample Ballot

Download a List of Election Day Voting Locations

There are seven forms of acceptable ID to vote:

• Texas driver’s license issued by the Texas Department of Public Safety.
• Texas Election Identification Certificate (EIC) issued by DPS.
• Texas Personal Idenfitication Card issued by the Texas Department of Public Safety.
• Texas license to carry a handgun issued by DPS.
• U.S. military ID card containing the voter’s photo.
• U.S. citizenship certificate containing the person’s photo.
• U.S. passport.

Those without the above can use supporting documentation to gain entry into the voting booth:

• Valid voter registration certificate.
• Certified birth certificate (must be original).
• Copy of or original current utility bill.
• Copy of or original bank statement.
• Copy of or original government check.
• Copy of or original paycheck.
• Copy of or original government documentation with your name and an address (original required if it contains a photograph).