Early voting starts Monday on state and local propositions

Election Day this year is Nov. 2, but early voting on the state and local propositions on the ballot starts Monday, according to local Elections Administrator Jodi Duck.

“Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. next week,” she said. “The next week, the 25th through the 27th is 8 to 5; the 28th and 29th are extended hours – 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.”

Early voting will be held exclusively at the Howard County Courthouse – 300 S. Main St.

“Here on the first floor of the courthouse, voter I.D. is still required,” Duck said. “If a voter does not own one, but they are registered to vote, they need to bring a utility bill, their voter certificate, or some other form of identification, and we will be able to have them sign a form and vote a regular ballot. So there is a Plan B for those that do not own one of the seven forms of identification.”

On Election Day, Nov. 2, voting will be conducted from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at Howard County's four polling locations.

“We will have the four countywide polling places. They can vote at any one of the four on Election Day, 7 to 7, which are Ryan Hall (605 N. Main St.), First Baptist Church (705 W. FM 700), Coahoma Community Center (306 North Ave. in Coahoma) and Dorothy Garrett Coliseum (1001 Birdwell Lane).

Additionally, local residents may vote by mail, and those with limited mobility can arrange to have a voting machine brought out to their vehicle to cast an early ballot.

“We always offer curbside for those that are unable to enter the building without injury to themselves and having assistance coming in,” Duck said. “They can, during early voting, they are welcome to call our office and let us know they are coming so we know where they're parked, or they can have someone who is with them come in to let us know to go out to the car. We are able to qualify them as a voter and then bring a machine out to the car to allow them to vote. Those are for disability issues. Not just offered to anybody, but we do do that for those who are unable

to come into the polling place. And then on Election Day, they can call the office and we will let whichever place they to go to know that they are coming, so they can be watching for them. Mail in ballots, they need to call our office to request one, or download one off of our webpage and mail that into us. The deadline for that is the (Oct.) 22nd.”

“There's three different ballots, depending on what precinct someone is in,” Duck said. “If they are in the City of Big Spring city limits, then they will have the Texas Constitutional Amendments and the (Big Spring) Charter Amendments. If they are in the City of Coahoma or the City of Forsan, then they will just have the State propositions. And if they are in the unincorporated area of the county, then they will have the state, as well as the Howard County Assistance District proposition.”

Duck urged Howard County voters to turn out and vote.

“This needs to be a high turnout,” she said. “There's a lot of issues on their statewide ballot that people need to get involved in, and know that every election is important.”

Statewide propositions on the ballot include:

• Proposition 1: Gambling. Authorizes professional sports team charitable organizations to conduct raffles at rodeo venues.

• Proposition 2: Bond issues. Authorizes a county to issue bonds to fund infrastructure and transportation projects in undeveloped and blighted areas.

• Proposition 3: Religion. Amends the Texas Constitution to prohibit the state or any political subdivision from enacting a law, rule, order, or proclamation that limits religious services or organizations.

• Proposition 4: State judiciary. Changes the eligibility requirements for the following judicial offices: a justice of the supreme court, a judge of the court of criminal appeals, a justice of the court of appeals, and a district judge.

• Proposition 5: State judiciary. Authorizes the Texas State Commission on Judicial Conduct to accept and investigate complaints and reports against candidates running for state judicial office.

• Proposition 6: Healthcare and Constitutional rights. Amends the Texas Constitution to state that residents of nursing facilities, assisted living facilities, or state-supported living centers have a right to designate an essential caregiver that may not be prohibited from visiting the resident.

• Proposition 7: Taxes. Amends the Texas Constitution to allow the legislature to extend a homestead tax limit for surviving spouses of disabled individuals as long as the spouse is 55 years old and resides at the home.

• Proposition 8: Taxes and Veterans. Amends the Texas Constitution to allow the legislature to apply a homestead tax exemption for surviving spouses of members of the military to those fatally injured in the line of duty.

City of Big Spring proposed charter amendments include the following. All proposed amendments begin with the words “Amending the Charter of the City of Big Spring...”:

• City Proposition A: ...by deletion and revision to require and ensure compliance with state law.

• City Proposition B: ...by deleting and amending those provisions which are redundant of state law, duplicative of other sections of the Charter or otherwise unnecessary for placement in the Charter.

• City Proposition C: ...to require council members to reside within the District to which they intended to be elected.

• City Proposition D: ...by clarifying that the City Attorney, Internal Auditor and the City Judge are appointed by City Council.

• City Proposition E: ...by providing for genderneutral pronouns.

• City Proposition F: ...to authorize City Council to either (1) appoint an individual to a vacancy or (2) call a special election to fill a vacancy when there are less than 180 days remaining in the term of the office to be filled.

• City Proposition G: ...to clarify how the existing term limits are applied.

• City Proposition H: ...to clarify when a resignation of office occurs when a council member is appointed to or becomes a candidate for any local, state or federal office.

• City Proposition I: ...by deleting the disciplinary hearing process for city employees.

• City Proposition J: ...by removing the requirement that City Council provide a bond upon being elected to office.

• City Proposition K: ...by establishing October 1st as the beginning of the City's fiscal year.

• City Proposition L: ...to clarify Article VI, City Officers and Employees by removing redundant language and reorganizing related sections.

• City Proposition M: ...to provide for the powers and responsibilities of the Mayor and the Mayor Pro-tempore.

• City Proposition N: ...to require the appointment of an Acting City Manager during the City Manager's absence.

• City Proposition O: ...to provide for the process of appointing and removing the presiding and associate judges of the municipal court.

• City Proposition P: ...to require the creation of a Charter Review Committee every four (4) years for the purpose of reviewing the City Charter.

• City Proposition Q: ...by revising the process for making a claim against the City.

• City Proposition R: ...by revising the recall process.

• City Proposition S: ...to reduce the number of council persons necessary to call a special meeting from three council persons to one council person.

• City Proposition T: …by adding provisions for initiative and referendum.

The Howard County Assistance District proposition for rural Howard County voters reads as follows:

• County Proposition A: Authorizing the creation of the Howard county assistance district and the imposition of a sales and use tax at the rate of 2.00 percent for the purpose of financing the operations of the district.