Statewide amendments cover religious services, rodeo raffles
WACO, Texas (KWTX) - There may not be a national election this year, but there is a statewide election with eight constitutional amendments.
The proposed amendments cover a variety of topics, from charitable raffles at rodeos to caregivers for nursing home residents.
Jon Taylor, a professor of politics at University of Texas at San Antonio, said for the most part, the propositions on the ballot are not controversial.
Proposition 1 would expand what organizations can hold charitable raffles at sporting events. Right now, unauthorized raffles can be considered illegal gambling.
Taylor said the charitable foundations of some sports organizations, like the Dallas Cowboys and Houston Texans, have been allowed to hold raffles.
“And so it was discovered as we went along, there are other professional sports organizations that don’t have this right because it’s not spelled out the state constitution, hence the need to do this with proposition one.”
If the proposition passes, the constitution would be amended to expand that to the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association and the Women’s Professional Rodeo Association.
Taylor said proposition 3 is one of the more controversial amendments on the ballot. If proposition 3 passes, it would prevent the state or any political subdivision from limiting or prohibiting religious services.
Taylor said this goes back to the executive order Governor Greg Abbott issued at the beginning of the pandemic, which limited capacity for religious services.
“The result was there was a lot of anger, there was a lot of backlash, there were people who just refused to comply,” Taylor said.
He added that some feel this should have been addressed during the regular session, rather than putting it on the ballot as an amendment.
“There is a little bit of a controversy to that the argument being that, you know, this should have been done probably in the regular session,” Taylor said. “And in fact, there was an attempt to do this during the Texas legislature as regular session which you know, between January and June, and it never made it.”
When the amendment was discussed in March, supporters said it was about religious freedom.
“This is our duty to protect the freedom of worship in Texas, and to clarify what we know to be constitutionally true and right through this provision,” said State Senator Kelly Hancock, R-Tarrant County.
Others expressed concerns about being able to protect people during times like the pandemic.
“I guess the question is, in situations where there is a disaster, or immediate action needs to be taken place, does it prohibit the government from taking any action to protect the public or the life of the people,” said State Senator Juan Hinojosa, D-Hidalgo County.
Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 2. You can find more information about where and when the polls will be open below.
Copyright 2021 KWTX. All rights reserved.