Early voting began Monday, April 22 for municipal, school board and various bond elections. It ends on April 30 with Saturday, May 4 being election day. What is on the ballot depends on where you live.
There are various ways to learn what is on the local ballot. One way is by going to the following link: https://tinyurl.com/ nhbyhnyu. This takes you to the Texas Tribune’s election center, where voters can type in their address to find out what is on their ballot.
In addition, most local newspapers and county election websites post notices of local elections.
Book-banning law gutted by appeals court The key provisions of a law signed by Gov. Greg Abbott requiring booksellers to rate books for sexual content were gutted after the full 17-member court 5th Circuit Court of Appeals declined to reconsider an earlier decision, the San Antonio Express-News reported. The vote was 9-8 to let the earlier decision stand.
A group of independent booksellers joined with book associations to challenge the law, passed in the 2023 regular legislative session. The booksellers contended the law violated the First Amendment and would cause considerable harm to their operations. One owner said the law already has caused a chilling effect and resulted in lost orders.
“The damage to us is mitigated by the fact we don’t have to review every book and rate every book that we’ve sold to the school library,” Valerie Koehler, owner of Houston’s Blue Willow Bookshop and a lead plaintiff, said of the court’s decision. “But the damage has been done in terms of the libraries across the entire state have changed their policies in a way that makes it hard for new books to get in.”
State Rep. Jared Patterson, R-Frisco, sponsored the bill and disagreed with the court’s decision.
“It’s incredibly disappointing that a majority of the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals sided with book vendors who push pornography on unsuspecting children in our public schools,” he wrote in a statement posted on social media.
Tax-free holiday for emergency supplies coming up A wide range of emergency preparation supplies will be exempt from sales tax April 27-29, the Austin American-Statesman reported. The total cost of the items must be less than $75 for most items on the list, such as batteries, first aid kits, flashlights, tarps, and fire extinguishers. Higher amounts are allowed for portable generators (less than $3,000) and emergency ladders and hurricane shutters (less than $300).
Supplies that do not qualify for tax exemption include face masks, cleaning supplies, gloves, toilet paper and tents.
For a complete list of what qualifies for tax exemption and what doesn’t, go to the state comptroller’s website: https://tinyurl. com/2c6fn4kp.
Gary Borders is a veteran award-winning Texas journalist. He published a number of community newspapers in Texas during a 30-year span, including in Longview, Fort Stockton, Nacogdoches, Lufkin and Cedar Park. Email: gborders@ texaspress.com.
