Early Voting Begins on Eight Proposed Amendments

If history is an indicator, Texas voters will likely go to the polls on Nov. 2 in underwhelming numbers to decide the fate of eight proposed amendments to the state’s constitution. With no statewide races on the ballot, and a scattering of local elections for city council and school board, turnout typically is low. Nevertheless, early voting is now underway and continues until Oct. 29.

The proposed amendments include allowing raffles at rodeo events; allowing counties to issue bonds for transportation infrastructure; banning the state from prohibiting or limiting religious services (related to closures during the pandemic); eligibility of candidates to run for judicial positions; and property tax exemption for bereaved families, among other measures. A fuller explanation of the proposed amendments can be found at the non-partisan BallotPedia site: https://tinyurl.com/29andwew

Over $1 billion in rental assistance

A federally funded rental assistance program administered through the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs has distributed more than $1 billion in rent and utility assistance to more than 174,000 Texas households — more than any other state. The pandemic relief measure has provided assistance in 95% of Texas counties and still has more than $900 million that can be distributed, according to TDHCA.

“Crossing the $1 billion mark shows we were able to address a great and pressing need that is still present here in our state, but it’s important we continue to work vigorously to get help out as quickly as possible,” Bobby Wilkinson, TDHCA executive director, said.

Renters can apply for the program by calling 1-833-9TX-RENT (1-833-989-7368) or online at TexasRentRelief.com. The call center is open Monday through Saturday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. To qualify, households must be at or below 80% of the area median income and meet other criteria.

State dried up in September

The cooler and wetter conditions of early summer became a distant memory in September as much of the state experienced little rain, according to Mark Wentzel, a hydrologist for the Texas Water Development Board.

“At the end of the month, drought conditions covered 7% of the state, up six percentage points from the end of last month,” Wentzel wrote.

September was the first month since last March that was both warmer and drier for most of the state. Wentzel predicts dry conditions will continue for the next few months, leading to drought expanding to cover all but the eastern edge of Texas by the end of the year.