By Phil Wilson
Texas Secretary of State

Thomas Jefferson once said, “Whenever the people are well-informed, they can be trusted with their own government.” As we approach the upcoming Constitutional Amendment Election, Texans should take the time to become well-informed on the 16 proposed constitutional amendments that will appear on the ballot on Nov. 6.

Propositions range from initiatives creating and funding the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas to requiring that a record vote be taken by the legislature on final passage of any bill. Five of the 16 propositions include bond proposals that total $9.75 billion for education, construction, transportation, cancer research and water infrastructure. All 16 propositions have the potential to alter our state’s constitution in some way and will impact what the future of Texas looks like.

Since 1876, our state Constitution has set the framework for how our state operates and has served as a directional beacon that has guided our state leaders during each and every legislative session.

It is no secret that we do not have enough Texans participating in elections in our state. For the last several years, we have ranked below the national average in voter participation. Even more alarming is the low participation rate when it comes to constitutional amendment elections.

In November 2005, nearly 18 percent of registered voters participated in the constitutional amendment election and, as low as that number seems, it was considered to be a large turnout for this type of election. This is something that we must change and I am committed to working to increase voter participation in Texas in all elections.

The first step for any Texan who wishes to be an active participant in our democracy is to ensure that they are registered to vote. My office has made registering to vote an easy process in the state. Texans may obtain a voter registration application from their county’s Voter Registrar’s office, the Secretary of State’s Office, libraries, many post offices, and even many high schools. Requests for applications can also be made on our Web site at www.sos.state.tx.us.

I hope my fellow Texans will recognize their duty to cast their ballots on Election Day and will join me in exercising one of our most important rights we possess as Americans.