There’s an election going on right now in Austin and after 12 days of early voting, turnout in Travis County is still less than 6 percent!

Here’s the deal – Elections are important. Most people seem to understand that, but we also tend to forget how important they are when there’s not a presidential election going on. You can help reverse that trend. Check out the information, get informed, and don’t forget to vote. There is still time!

And remember, because so few people tend to participate in local elections, each and every vote really does matter. In 2015, a $287 million bond measure to build a new Travis County courthouse was defeated by a mere 1.44 percentage points.

So what’s on the ballot?
While there are no Austin City Council or mayoral elections on the ballot this time, there are several other important elections taking place in Travis County, the Austin Independent School District (AISD), and the State of Texas.

Let’s start with Travis County.

In total, Travis County has $185 million in bonds on the ballot this year, broken up into two parts. If both pass, it will cost the average homeowner in Austin (with a house worth $305,000) about $24 a year.

Proposition A – $93,445,000 for roads, bike lanes, sidewalks, and drainage improvement projects at low water crossings. Here’s how the money will be spent:

Proposition B – $91,445,000 for park projects and conservation easements. Here are some of the major projects the money will fund:

What people are saying – Both Proposition A and B have been endorsed by Bike Austin, the Austin Chronicle, and the Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce. AURA opposes Part A (saying that the additional road projects subsidize sprawl), but supports Part B.

You can look through the complete list of projects that would be funded by the bond (as well as get a more exact estimate of what it will cost you) here>>

And now on to AISD…

The Austin Independent School District is having a big $1.05 billion bond election this year, in an attempt to fund the first phase of the district’s 25-year maintenance and facilities upgrade plan. The bond will be listed on the ballot as AISD Prop 1 and fund a wide array of projects, including:

Another major component of the bond is a bit of school shuffle involving LBJ, LASA, and Eastside Memorial high schools. Here’s what’s in the plan:

According to AISD officials, this shuffle is taking place to give LASA room to grow (and accept more students), as well as to house LASA in a more central location. Since LASA is a magnet school, students throughout the entire city are able to attend and many have complained that at its current location in northeast Austin, commute times are too long.

A full list of projects that will be funded by the AISD bond is available here.

Despite the high price tag associated with the bond, AISD officials explain that it will not lead to a property tax increase. The district will be refinancing old debt, selling off some land, and banking on rising property values to fund the project. A full explanation of how they plan to do this is below.

What people are saying – Supporters of the bond say that it is a necessary measure to relieve overcrowding (and accommodate a shift in the city’s populations centers), fix the school district’s aging infrastructure (the average building is over 40 years old), and create new high tech programs to give the city’s kids a 21st century learning experience. They explain that every school in the district will received needed improvements and upgrades from this bond. The campaign to support Prop 1 is being led by the Committee of Austin’s Children Political Action Committee. 

Prop 1 has been endorsed by the Austin Chronicle, the Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce, the Greater Austin Black Chamber of Commerce, the Greater Austin Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, the Greater Asian Chamber of Commerce, the Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce, and the Austin Tech Alliance.

The opposition to Prop 1 is being led primarily by the Save East Austin Schools Political Action Committee. They argue that the bond does not equitably distribute resources to east Austin schools where racist inequity exists. They have also criticized the district’s decision to spend so much money on facilities, as opposed to directly on educational resources. Concerns have also been raised about proposed plans to close some underenrolled east Austin schools. Although the closure of specific schools is not technically included in the bond proposal, it is wrapped up in the larger 25-year Facilities Master Plan effort and bond funding model.

The State of Texas has seven constitutional amendment propositions on the ballot. Here’s what they are:

The constitutional amendment authorizing the legislature to provide for an exemption from ad valorem taxation of part of the market value of the residence homestead of a partially disabled veteran or the surviving spouse of a partially disabled veteran if the residence homestead was donated to the disabled veteran by a charitable organization for less than the market value of the residence homestead and harmonizing certain related provisions of the Texas Constitution.

The constitutional amendment to establish a lower amount for expenses that can be charged to a borrower and removing certain financing expense limitations for a home equity loan, establishing certain authorized lenders to make a home equity loan, changing certain options for the refinancing of home equity loans, changing the threshold for an advance of a home equity line of credit, and allowing home equity loans on agricultural homesteads.

The constitutional amendment limiting the service of certain officeholders appointed by the governor and confirmed by the senate after the expiration of the person’s term of office.

The constitutional amendment authorizing the legislature to require a court to provide notice to the attorney general of a challenge to the constitutionality of a state statute and authorizing the legislature to prescribe a waiting period before the court may enter a judgment holding the statute unconstitutional.

The constitutional amendment on professional sports team charitable foundations conducting charitable raffles.

The constitutional amendment authorizing the legislature to provide for an exemption from ad valorem taxation of all or part of the market value of the residence homestead of the surviving spouse of a first responder who is killed or fatally injured in the line of duty.

The constitutional amendment relating to legislative authority to permit credit unions and other financial institutions to award prizes by lot to promote savings.