As of Saturday, just over 4% of registered Travis County voters have cast their ballot.
AUSTIN, Texas — Early voting for the November election continued across Texas on Saturday. This is the only weekend when people can cast their ballots early ahead of Election Day on Nov. 4.
Early voting has been underway for six days, but turnout is still low. Through the first few days of early voting, 2.39% of registered voters statewide and 4.01% in Travis County have cast their ballots.
“Monday through Friday, I’m so busy with school, kids, everything else,” James Seaver said. “Saturday is my day to say, ‘OK, this is my day to get things done,’ and this was the very first thing on my list.”
At 83, James Harding said he has never missed a vote.
“Even when I was in Vietnam, we had to vote by ballot from a distance,” Harding said. “It’s part of the process. That’s why you’re there – to vote, to maintain democracy.”
Gov. Greg Abbott cast his ballot at a polling place in Austin on Friday.
“It is very important to vote, but also very easy and very quick to vote. I think the entire voting process took me like one minute,” Abbott said. “What you can do by voting on these statewide propositions is alter the arc of the future of Texas. You can make our communities safer. You can make them better.”
In Texas, there are 17 statewide propositions as well as several local tax rate elections and races on the ballot.
Abbott said he supported all of the state propositions.
“More than half the propositions deal with either banning taxes or cutting taxes,” Abbott said. “Now is your opportunity to cut taxes in Texas, but to do that, you have to show up and vote.”
One of his top priorities on the ballot is Prop 3, bail reform. The constitutional amendment requires the denial of bail under certain circumstances to persons accused of certain offenses punishable as a felony. There are nine crimes in this statute that a judge could deny bail under, including murder, aggravated assault that either causes serious bodily injury or if a weapon is used, aggravated felonies, which generally means a weapon was used or trafficking of persons.
Texas judges can already deny bail for some of these crimes, or if someone is accused of committing a crime while out on bond, but it doesn’t always happen.
While the proposition says it requires the denial of bail, judges would still have discretion. However, this would make it much easier to deny bail.
“By voting yes on Proposition 3, Texans will make the state safer,” Abbott said.
Some groups oppose Prop 3, saying it limits due process and undermines the principle of innocent until proven guilty.
Gigs Hodges, who showed up to vote at the same time as Abbott, said she believes the criminal justice system needs an overhaul.
“They overpolice our streets and put them into these facilities. It is not helping them rebuild their lives and move on. If they get out, then it’s a struggle to get housing; it’s a struggle to get employment,” Hodges said. “I think that we continue to put these barriers up. We make it so easy to drag people into the system, but refuse to actually come up with solutions on how to help them.”
Abbott said he is not satisfied and believes there is more that state lawmakers can do.
A pair of bills, Senate Joint Resolutions 1 and 87, did not receive the required two-thirds majority vote in the Texas House of Representatives to be sent to voters as proposed constitutional amendments.
SJR 1 would have required judges to deny bail for immigrants in Texas illegally who are accused of a felony, while SJR 87 would have mandated that judges deny bail to people charged with a felony if they were previously convicted of a felony such as murder, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon or one that results in grievous bodily harm, aggravated kidnapping, aggravated robbery, aggravated sexual assault, indecency with a child or human trafficking.
“I’m going to be going into this next session to make sure we’re doing even more to keep our streets safe and our community safe and free from the dangers that exist on our streets,” Abbott said.
Another priority on the ballot is Prop 4, which would dedicate a portion of the revenue derived from state sales and use taxes to the Texas Water Fund and to provide for the allocation and use of that revenue. As more people choose to call Texas home, Texas needs more water. The Texas Water Development Board estimates that demand for water in Texas cities will exceed supply by 2030, and the city of Corpus Christi could run out of water by 2027. Texas is seeing more frequent and severe droughts, and the state is filled with old water pipes that leak tens of billions of gallons of water each year.
“The entire state deals with a water shortage,” Abbott said. “When you add the increasing population, more businesses, as well as all the leaking pipes that we have, there’s a desperate need to fix all of that, as well as to create new water sources.”
Under Prop 4, each year, once the state of Texas brings in $46.5 billion in sales tax revenue, the next $1 billion would be transferred to the Texas Water Fund to help pay for water projects. This would happen every year for the next 20 years. There is no tax increase associated with it.
“All it does is what every homeowner and every business has to do all the time. It prioritizes our spending. We’re not going to take any new money,” Abbott said. “We’re going to take our current revenue and prioritize it and say, ‘Listen, water is one of the most important issues for our future. We want to make sure that you and your children and grandchildren are going to have access to the water that our state needs.’”
Abbott said he voted against Prop Q, the Austin measure that would raise the city’s property tax rate by 5 cents per $100 in value.
“We do have the government shut down right now. There are a lot of people who are just really scared about where their next meal is going to come from,” Seaver said. “The last thing I think they really need to be hit with is another property tax.”
Voter approval is required because the city’s property tax revenue would exceed a state-imposed limit.
Since he is on a fixed income, Harding said his decisions often revolve around finances, with Social Security, veterans’ benefits and Medicare among the most important to him.
“The fixed costs of just opening the door every morning, taxes and insurance have gone crazy,” Harding said. “I’m very sensitive to anything that reeks of expenditure, inefficiency, waste, sloppy performance, those types of issues where no matter what happens, somebody’s got to pay, and too often it’s the taxpayer.”
For him, more taxes could mean tough choices.
“That kind of stuff really hurts, so you got to figure it out. If that money comes out, then it’s going to be really painful,” Harding said. “This is the only control I can exercise at the ballot box.”
“The only way you can affect taxes and efficient government is to get out there and vote,” Harding added. “Vote your conscience.”
City leaders say they need that money to address issues such as homelessness, public safety and park maintenance.
The increase could cost the average homeowner about an extra $300 a year in city property taxes, which opponents worry would worsen affordability and push more people out of Austin.
Brydan Summers is president of The American Federation of State, County, Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Local 1624, a union representing city of Austin and Travis County employees. He worries about layoffs if voters reject Prop Q, adding that the money would help the city make up for state limits on local property tax revenue and federal funding cuts.
“Seeing those grants being pulled, they want to starve city government, and we’re really trying to tell people that we all want these services, and so we’ve got to support each other and take care of ourselves,” Summers said.
If voters approve Prop Q, that tax rate increase becomes permanent. Any future tax rate increases would build off the new rate.
Early voting continues
Voters did their civic duty on Saturday and taught life lessons. Seaver left with four “I Voted” stickers on his hat – one for him and three for his kids.
“This is my way of educating them: My vote does matter, and every vote does count,” Seaver said.
There’s still plenty of time left to cast your ballot. Early voting continues on Sunday and into next week before wrapping up on Halloween.
To get to know your ballot, check out KVUE’s voter guide.