Just a little over two months after the March 1 primary election in Texas, a constitutional election will take place on May 7 to address two constitutional amendments, as well as to decide local elections for school board, municipalities and other entities. Here are five things to know about the election.
For those not already registered to vote, the last day to do so is Thursday, April 7. For those who registered to vote for the March 1 primary, it is not necessary to register again.
To register, eligible voters can fill out a voter registration form online, print it out and send it to their county voter registrar. To fill out the form, visit https://vrapp.sos.state.tx.us/index.asp
Early voting runs from April 25 to May 3
The early voting period will be from April 25 to May 3 for the constitutional election. If voting in person, registered voters will need to provide a form of identification, such as a driver’s license, U.S. passport or military I.D.
To find early voting locations, visit the local county election website at https://www.sos.texas.gov/elections/voter/county.shtml.
Certain groups may vote by mail, such as people 65 years old or older, people with disabilities, individuals who are out of the county, people expecting to give birth within three week of the election day as well as eligible voters in jail. To vote by mail, one must send in an application that includes their signature and Texas driver’s license number or social security number.
Two constitutional amendments are being considered
On the ballot for the May 7 elections are two constitutional amendments which were approved by two-thirds of both the Texas House and Senate during the second and third special sessions in 2021.
The first amendment would allow the Legislature to reduce the amount of a limitation on the total property taxes on the homestead of someone who is elderly or disabled for elementary and secondary school purposes. This would reduce the amount of taxes these residents would pay to local school districts.
The second amendment would raise the homestead exemption from $25,000 to $40,000 for school district property taxes.
There are local races on the ballot
Other than the two proposed constitutional amendments, local elections will be on the May 7 ballot, as well. This includes races for the city council and school districts. While ballots across the state will be different, some of the races may include elections for mayor, city council members, school board members and school district bonds.
To see which races are on the ballot, visit the local county elections website.
This is not the runoff election for the March 1 primary
While this is the first election since the March 1 primary, voters will not find any runoff elections on this ballot. This year’s runoff election will take place on May 24, with early voting running from May 16-20.
As a result of the March 1 primary election, multiple races went to a runoff election. When no one candidate receives more than 50% of the vote in their party’s primary election, the race goes to a runoff. Multiple statewide races went to a runoff, including the Republican primary for attorney general and the Democratic primary for lieutenant governor.