Dunnam looks at the numbers in District 57 and across the state
On Tuesday, Texas voters approved all 11 proposed amendments to the state constitution. While each passed by at least a ten percentage point margin on the state level, many of the propositions were not strongly supported across District 57, an area composed of Falls, Leon, Madison, Robertson and part of McLennan counties.
"Not all of our results match up with the statewide results," said Representative Jim Dunnam, who represents District 57 in the Texas House. "If you look at the numbers, it's easy to see that many of the voters in our area were opposed to a few of the propositions."
Possibly the most controversial amendment - Prop. 1, which allows city-owned buffer zones around military bases - passed with a ten-point margin on the state level but lost significantly in Falls, Leon, Madison and Robertson counties. In Leon, the most extreme case, the results were around 31% in favor and 69% against the proposition.
"It's not unusual to see these kind of results from time to time," said Dunnam. "I focus on the highlights of the election, the things that will really affect our lives here."
Representative Dunnam is referring to the most popular amendment of the election - Prop. 11, which restricts government use of eminent domain - which was overwhelmingly supported in District 57. It was approved in all five counties by over 80 percent.
"It prohibits the government from taking property to build a new shopping center," said Dunnam. "This is a key protection of private property, and it was long overdue."
Other approved propositions concern funding for emerging research universities, regulations for property appraisals, veterans' services and the right to access public beaches.&n |