2017 Election Results

The results are in, and here is how the 2017 elections went:

Constitutional Amendments

Prop	Issue	Bastrop	Statewide*
1	Disabled Veteran Tax Exemption	85.05%	86.07%
2	Home Equity Loans	68.77%	69.76%
3	Limiting Service Past End of Term	85.18%	83.13%
4	AG notice of Constitutional Challenges	61.66%	66.30%
5	Charitable Raffles by Sports Franchises	56.65%	60.86%
6	First Responder Tax Exemption	83.84%	84.73%
7	Financial Institution Raffles	57.85%	60.13%

* - with 84.41% of precinct reporting statewide
(Although the entire vote isn't in yet statewide on these, none appear in danger of failing.)


Bastrop ISD - $88.5 million School Bond  - 35.61% (failed)

In the 2016 Presidential general election, BISD had a $75 million school bond on the ballot.  With 15,626 votes cast in that bond election, the bond failed, having received only 46.06% of the vote.  I had heard conjecture that because this kind of election (nonpartisan election in an off-year) would have lower turnout, that would favor passage of the bond.  But while only 4,597 votes were cast in this bond election, this bond received only 35.61% of the vote.


Bastrop County Emergency Services District #1

Prop	Issue	Vote
A (ESD)	Annex ETJ into ESD Territory	56.61%
A (ETJ)	Annex ETJ in to ESD Territory	81.08%
B (ESD)	New Territory Shares Pre-Existing Debt	67.52%
B (ETJ)	New Territory Shares Pre-Existing Debt	89.19%
C (all)	Add 1.5 Cent Sales Tax for ESD	45.67% (failed)

This is a more confusing vote than usual, so a word of explanation is in order:

ESD Proposition A was about annexing new territory into the ESD services district.  Residents of the existing ESD area and residents of the territory to be annexed (ETJ) had to be polled separately, and both groups had to vote in the affirmative for the annexation to occur.  Both did vote in the affirmative, so the territory has now been added to ESD#1.

ESD Proposition B was about whether the new territory to be annexed would share in the pre-existing debts of the district, if they were annexed in (as opposed to owing only new debt going forward).  Again both groups had to be polled separately and both had to vote in the affirmative for it to pass.  Both did vote in the affirmative, so the new territory added in now owes its proportionate share of the district's pre-existing debt.

ESD Proposition C was about whether to add a 1.5 cent sales tax to the ESD territory to benefit the ESD as an additional funding source on top of property tax.  Separate polling was not required for this proposition, and this had no relationship to the prior two annexation-related propositions.  It failed.


Bastrop County WCID#2 (Tahitian Village) - $7.5 million Road Bond - 62.11% (failed)

Although this bond received 62.11% of the vote, it nevertheless failed because it was required to receive a 2/3 vote to succeed.  As a result of its failure, Tahitian residents will see a raise in their per-lot annual road fees from $156 to $252 to facilitate the District addressing road needs on a cash basis over a 10-year period (except for those who have already had their road fee frozen due to age or disability).


City of Elgin, Ward 3 - Special Election

James Mark Jones - 21.15%
Daniel Lopez - 78.85%


Albert L. Ellison, Founder
Bastrop County Republican News