Austin voters won’t be electing any humans to political office today but they will be deciding on seven proposed constitutional amendments and two city of Austin propositions. To prepare to cast your ballot today (polls close at 7 p.m.), please read on.

The MAC is a polling location. To find out where else you can vote, please visit votetexas.gov.

Prop 1: This would allow charitable professional rodeo foundations (including the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association and the Women’s Professional Rodeo Association) to the list of charitable foundations able to host raffles at their events. 

To read more about this proposition visit: https://hro.house.texas.gov/pdf/ba87R/HJR0143.PDF 

Prop 2: This proposition amend the Texas constitution so that counties could become one of the political entities able to issue bonds for “unproductive, underdeveloped or blighted areas.”  According to Vote411.org, the county may not: 

—Allocate more than 65% of the property tax increases annually to repay the bonds;

—Use the bond proceeds to finance toll road construction, operation, maintenance, or right-of-way acquisition.

To read more about this proposition visit: https://hro.house.texas.gov/pdf/ba87R/HJR0099.PDF 

Prop 3: This proposition would amend the Texas constitution, prohibiting any government organization from interfering with, limiting, or disallowing any religious event or service. 

To read more about this proposition visit: https://hro.house.texas.gov/pdf/ba87R/HJR0072.PDF 

Prop 4: This proposed amendment would change eligibility requirements for candidates running for the state supreme court and state district judge. This amendment would require all candidates for the Texas Supreme Court to be licensed to practice law by the state of Texas for 10 years, and during this 10-year period, the candidate’s license can not be revoked or suspended in any way. This is a change from the prior amendment, which just says that the candidate must be a practicing lawyer and/or for at least ten years. 

For the State District judge, the candidate must be a practicing lawyer and/or judge for at least eight years, compared to the current four-year requirement. Like the Supreme Court candidates, during this time period, the candidate will only be eligible if their license has not been revoked or suspended. 

To read more about this proposition visit: https://hro.house.texas.gov/pdf/ba87R/SJR0047.PDF 

Prop 5: If this proposed amendment passes, the State Commission of Judicial Conduct could investigate not only judges but also candidates running for judicial office. 

To read more about this proposition visit: https://hro.house.texas.gov/pdf/ba87R/HJR0165.PDF 

Prop 6: This proposed amendment would allow residents of assisted living facilities and nursing homes to be able to name who they wish to be their personal caregiver. Visits by that caregiver would therefore become the resident’s constitutional right. 

To read more about this proposition visit: https://hro.house.texas.gov/pdf/ba87R/SJR0019.PDF 

Prop 7: This proposed amendment would impose a limit on the school district property taxes that surviving spouses of disabled persons would have to pay if over the age of 55. Currently, this age is 65. To be eligible, the spouse must be at least 55 years old when their disabled spouse passes and still live in the same home. 

To read more about this proposition visit: https://hro.house.texas.gov/pdf/ba87R/HJR0125.PDF 

Prop 8: As of now, spouses of those killed in action serving in the military are exempt from property taxes until they remarry (if they choose to) or move. This would expand the law beyond those killed in action to include all soldiers “killed in the line of duty.” As long as the spouse was killed serving in the military on active duty, the surviving spouse would be eligible for tax exemption. 

To read more about this proposition visit: https://hro.house.texas.gov/pdf/ba87R/SJR0035.PDF 

 Prop A: According to vote.org, proposition 9 would set minimum standards for the Austin Police Department including: 

• Two police officers for every thousand residents, upping our current officer count from 1,600 to 1,900
• At least 40 mandatory hours of continuing education for all officers
• Requiring 35 percent of every officer’s time be devoted to community engagement
• Programs to enhance officer retention and recruitment (This proposal would provide extra compensation for those officers that have special language skills, who are eligible for honorary conduct citations, and/or who participate in mentoring programs. 

The would cost approximately $271.5 to $598.8 million over the course of five years. 

Prop B: The city would be allowed to convey at least nine acres of parkland through a public bidding process. This land is located by Oracle’s headquarters at 2525 S. Lakeshore Blvd. and is an old maintenance facility. This would allow a private company to acquire the land and use it for what they deem fit and necessary. 

All information taken from vote411.org. For more information on your personal ballot, and to find out about what you get to vote on, visit https://www.vote411.org/personalized-voting-info.