Tuesday, October 21, 1997

Place on the ballot

Abilenians who want to vote on the library bond issue might not immediately find where to mark their choice when they open their ballots for the Nov. 4 election.

To avoid the expense of a separate election, city officials decided to hold the library vote in conjunction with a statewide vote on 14 proposed amendments to the Texas Constitution. In the hierarchy of ballot positioning, statewide matters outrank local ones, and so the Abilene library issue comes after the 14 state amendments.

Of course, Abilene voters are free to turn to the last page of the ballot and vote only on the new library. But the Reporter-News recommends Texans approve all 14 amendments, which were individually summarized in Sunday's editorial.

Many of the amendments are routine matters that require a statewide vote only because of the clumsy construction of the state Constitution, which demands the whole state, for instance, decide whether rural fire districts in Harris County can increase their tax rates.

The most controversial of the 14 items is Proposition 8, which would allow Texans to join residents of every other state in the Union in voluntarily using the equity in their homes to obtain loans. This measure's passage is overdue and would be worth a trip to the polls in itself.

Early voting for the Nov. 4 election continues through Friday and next week from Monday through Oct. 31 at the Taylor County Courthouse. Booths are open from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. except on the final two days of early voting, when they will be open from 7 a.m.-7 p.m.