OPINION
Seventeen is my favorite number.
It's the day I was born. As of Friday, it is my wedding anniversary.
Coincidentally enough, on the Nov. 4 ballot, that's also the number of amendments Texas voters will have before them.
We published legal notices with the full language in the Sept. 12 and Sept. 19 issues, which you can access on our website for free, even if you're not a subscriber.
Those amendments include funding the Texas water fund, which could keep our state from drying up, as well as increased property tax breaks for businesses as well as people with homestead exemptions, with a separate vote for an additional break for seniors and those who are disabled.
Others include a ban on the state being able to have a capital gains tax as well as a break on property tax for residences that are fully destroyed by fire.
Another of the 17 would alter the membership and rules for the State Commission on Judicial Conduct.
No. 15 says, “The constitutional amendment affirming that parents are the primary decision makers for their children,” and No. 16 says, ' The constitutional amendment clarifying that a voter must be a United States citizen.' I'm not going to get into the politics of some of the amendments, nor am I going to tell you how to vote. What I will say is, we need our voices to be heard, whatever it is we're saying.
It is important to participate in the democratic process by researching your options, making your mind up about how you want to cast your ballot and then following through.
Don't let the length of the ballot keep you from digging in and getting out to vote.
Some of these options could make a huge impact on the lives of the people of Texas.
Abigail Bardwell is the Editor & Publisher of the Post-Signal. She can be reached at [email protected].
