Every four years, the general election is a marquee event, of course, but this year, the ballot carries a greater significance for Dallas than others, thanks to the presence of local Congressman-turned-Ted Cruz-challenger Colin Allred, and the inclusion of 18 proposed city charter amendments.
In a rare twist, a few of the propositions on the ballot have grabbed a great deal of attention and have rivaled the Senate race in the degree of heat the debate has generated. More on that later, but now, especially in light of the news that Gov. Greg Abbott oversaw the scrubbing of hundreds of thousands of names from the state voter roll, potential voters in Dallas need to have some basics covered when it comes to casting their votes.
Make Sure You’re Registered
Sure, it’s probably a good idea to check your voter registration status every so often, but that’s certainly the case this year. Luckily for everyone, it’s perhaps the easiest component of the voting process to do. Visit the My Voter Portal on the Texas secretary of state's website. On the right side of the page, you’ll see a dropdown menu to enter some personal information under “Am I Registered?”. You’ll learn your registration status immediately. Unfortunately, if you're not registered for any reason, the deadline to do so was on Oct. 7.
Where Do I Vote?
This is also an easy task to handle. Once you’ve verified your registration status is intact in the My Voter Portal, select the Nov. 5 general election from the upcoming elections choices on the right side of the page. A list of eligible polling locations with address and hours will pop up on your screen. There are also requirements for the types of identification a voter must present and how you can go about casting a mail-in ballot. Check out the Dallas County voter’s guide we published earlier for more information.
I Know Who Trump, Harris, Cruz and Allred Are. What Are These Proposed Charter Amendments All About?
The city charter, which outlines how Dallas is governed, is reviewed every 10 years. Items such as the size of City Council and when elections are held are among the many components of the charter. All proposed amendments have to go through a 15-member Charter Review Commission before being considered by the City Council. From there, the changes are voted on by residents. Some proposed amendments make their way onto the ballot by gaining at least 20,000 petition signatures, which was the case for the so-called “HERO amendments,” a set of three proposed charter amendments promoted by the Dallas HERO Initiative, a well-funded group led by billionaire hotelier and Donald Trump donor Monty Bennet.Although the HERO amendments make up only three of the 18 propositions on the ballot, they’ve wrangled the lion’s share of attention thanks primarily to Proposition U. With its sights set on the Dallas police, Proposition U would require the DPD to keep a minimum of 4,000 officers on staff at all times, about 900 more than it has now, while requiring 50% of all new city revenue to go to the police and fire department pensions.
The other HERO amendments, Proposition S, which would allow residents to sue the city for breaking the charter or state law, and Proposition T, which would tie the city manager's compensation to the results of a residential satisfaction survey, certainly represent drastic possible changes. But critics note that forcing the city to increase its police staffing by such a drastic amount will be catastrophic for Dallas.
Notable Dallas names including former mayors Ron Kirk, Tom Leppert and Mike Rawlings have been vocal opponents of the HERO amendments, as have all of the current city council members. Outgoing police chief Eddie Garcia, before he announced his retirement, said that he too opposes the proposition that critics say would force the city to cut funding to many other programs and departments.
What About the Non-HERO Props?
But the HERO amendments aren’t the only ones stirring debate on the ballot. Garcia has also been vocally opposed to Proposition R, which would make possession of up to four ounces of marijuana the lowest priority misdemeanor for police, prohibiting them from arresting people for that amount and less. Garcia contends that four ounces is not a small amount and would decriminalize someone with enough pot to make up more than 100 dime bags. But you know who is cool with Proposition R? Willie Nelson, so there’s that.Proposition C has also caught some eyeballs, thanks to its goal of raising city council pay from $60,000 annually to $90,000 and increasing the mayor’s salary from $80,000 to $110,000 annually.
For what it’s worth, Mayor Eric Johnson and Council Member Cara Mendelsohn recently encouraged Dallas voters to vote against all 18 propositions. For a complete listing of all the proposed charter amendments, you can check out the city’s official language for each here.
