There are 14 statewide propositions on the ballot and several local elections, including Lindale ISD, Whitehouse ISD, the City of Whitehouse and the City of Overton.

A brief downpour of rain in Smith County didn’t stop voters from heading out to the polls Monday for the first day of early voting in the Nov. 7 constitutional amendment and joint elections. Although it wasn’t a heavy turnout, officials say it went better than expected.

There are 14 proposed amendments on the ballot for every registered voter in Smith County. The City of Whitehouse and Overton and the Whitehouse and Lindale Independent School Districts are each holding special elections.

At 3:20 p.m. Monday, 128 people had cast ballots at The HUB, which is the county’s main polling location. Smith County Elections Administrator Michelle Allcon said at that time, there had been 461 voters across all five locations.

About 130 people voted in Lindale and about 68 in Whitehouse, Allcon said.

In contrast, only about 100 ballots were cast on the first day of early voting in the November 2021 constitutional amendment election.

“It’s still really sad, but it’s better than I was expecting,” Allcon said. “The last couple of constitutional amendments, we haven’t even reached a 12% turnout rate for the entire election.”

Allcon said in a previous interview with the Tyler Morning Telegraph that although presidential elections always have higher turnouts, elections like these still matter.

“This changes laws that affect them,” Allcon said. “If they don’t come out and say no, they don’t, or yes, they do, then how are our representatives supposed to know that we’re in favor of or against something?”

State legislators are proposing more than a dozen changes to the Texas Constitution.

“In most cases, the ballots have candidates, you have a specific office, and candidates running for that office. A proposition is a statement that you agree or disagree with,” Allcon explained. “These are the items that our state senators and representatives decided to send to the public for our say-so.”

There are still two weeks of early voting; dates and times include:

8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, Oct. 23 through 27

9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 28

8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Wednesday, Oct. 30 to Nov. 1

7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday and Friday, Nov. 2 and 3

There will be extended hours at The HUB only, from noon to 4 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 29.

There are five early voting locations throughout Smith County, including:

The Hub, 304 E. Ferguson St., Tyler

Heritage Building, 1900 Bellwood Road, Tyler

Lindale Masonic Lodge, 200 W. Margaret St., Lindale

Noonday Community Center, 16662 CR 196, Tyler

Whitehouse United Methodist Church, 405 W. Main St., Whitehouse

During early voting, if voters are registered in another county in Texas, they can still vote at The HUB on a limited ballot.

Allcon said right now, there is plenty of parking at The HUB, but next week, when construction of the Smith County courthouse parking garage starts, it will be minimal.

“If people don’t need to come to The HUB, it’d be great if they could go to one of the other four locations,” she said. “That will save them a lot of effort when it comes to parking.”

There will be 35 polling locations open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 7.

“We have plenty of opportunities for people to come by and vote,” Allcon said.

According to the Texas Tribune, many of the proposed amendments would create or alter funds to support:

• Higher education research
• Water infrastructure
• Gas-fueled power plants
• Broadband infrastructure
• Maintenance and creation of state parks

Several others would address taxes by:

• Raising the homestead exemption for homeowners from $40,000 to $100,000
• Creating some tax exemptions for medical equipment and child-care facilities
• Banning lawmakers from imposing “wealth taxes” without voter approval

Other amendments would affect Texans in certain professions by:

• Granting retired teachers cost-of-living raises
• Raising the mandatory retirement age for state judges
• Protecting generally accepted farming and ranching practices from state and local regulation

And two would impact Galveston and El Paso counties specifically, allowing Galveston County to eliminate the position of county treasurer and for El Paso County to use bonds for parks and recreation development, according to the Tribune.

In addition to the constitutional amendments, some voters will see local items on their ballot.

What’s on the ballot locally?

Lindale ISD: Citizens can vote for or against Proposition A, ratifying the tax rate of $0.9542 per $100 valuation. This rate will result in an increase of negative 6.867% in maintenance and operations tax revenue for the district for the current year as compared to the preceding year, which is an additional negative $1,365,897.

What it means: If the Lindale community approves the adopted tax rate, LISD will cut taxes an additional 21.54 cents, for 43.58 cents over the last five years. If the adopted rate is approved, the six cents will generate an additional $1,400,000 in revenue that the school district will use to improve the LISD teacher pay scale and pay for LISD support staff.

The school board reduced the taxes for all property owners in Lindale because of the strong economic growth throughout the community. This past year, the school district experienced a 23% growth in property values.

Whitehouse ISD: Citizens have the opportunity to vote for or against Proposition A, ratifying the tax rate of $0.9272 per $100 valuation, a rate that will result in a decrease of 10.3690% in maintenance and operations tax revenue for the district for the current year as compared to the preceding year, which is a reduction of $2,502,152.

What it means: Proposition A would provide additional maintenance and operating funding and maximize State funding. If passed, Whitehouse ISD would realize $1.6 million more annually through maintenance and operating funds. The additional $1.6 million per year would be used to support the WISD Strategic Plan, which includes academic support, employee pay raises, safety and security and capital improvements.

City of Whitehouse: Citizens can vote for or against Proposition A, a sales tax reallocation in the City of Whitehouse, increasing the local sales and use tax. There are also elections for City Council positions.

What it means: Proposition A would change how taxes are reported to the state and how existing tax dollars are spent in the City of Whitehouse, according to a statement from the city. If it passes, Whitehouse will offer greater transparency on the amount of property taxes collected, direct more existing funds to economic development, and reduce the impact of government regulations coming out of Austin.

It would also direct more existing funds to economic development, allowing the City to gain more freedom to invest in projects that will improve the community. This could mean attracting new businesses, improving public services and creating job opportunities.

Proposition A will not increase the tax rate, and city leaders say they remain committed to decreasing the property tax rate.

Candidates for City Council Place 1 Zack Briscoe, Place 3 John Chambers, and Place 5 Matt Lazarine are running uncontested.

City of Overton: Citizens can vote for either Richard “Bubba” Howell or Curtis Gilbert for a two-year term as Mayor. City Council candidates for two-year terms in Place 2 Christopher Hall and Place 4 Raymond Moon are uncontested. A candidate for a one-year term on City Council Place 3 April Littlefield is running uncontested.

What it means: The City of Overton will elect one mayoral and three council seats.