Not all votes are equal — and here's how to make yours count more

Mayor Mike Rawlings had opposed raising the tax rate, in part out of concern that such hikes might attract the attention of the Texas Legislature and prompt a state cap on local property tax rates. (Rawlings won his first mayoral election by 6,465 votes. That's roughly equal to the number of undergraduates at SMU; a student political movement could change the course of this city.)

Should the Legislature cap taxes, that would remove some taxing authority from local councils.

Gov. Greg Abbott made capping property tax growth a key priority when he called a special session last year. Abbott won his first race for governor by 1.4 million votes. That's a lot of votes, but he couldn't pass the property tax bill without the Legislature, where a bill failed.

Sen. Don Huffines, R-Dallas, is a vocal supporter of reining in local property tax hikes and aims to head back to Austin next year. He's running for re-election in November and won his primary by about 1,000 votes. The seniors in one of the high schools in his district and their parents, voting together, could have tipped that primary the other way.

Other legislative races could also affect local control of property tax rates. For example, Lisa Luby Ryan is the Republican running to represent North Dallas in the Texas House, and she has endorsed Abbott's property tax proposals. Ryan won her primary by 743 votes; the regulars at one megachurch could have changed the outcome of that election.

And consider this: The property tax rate is just one issue at stake in the state elections in November and the municipal votes in the spring. These folks also determine whether you have to live with potholes; whether your kid's school has enough money to hire good teachers; whether the pool at your city park will open next summer; and whether a manufacturing plant or sex toy shop might be allowed to open in your neighborhood.

Oct. 9 is the deadline to register to vote in the Nov. 6 election for your local representatives to the Legislature and Congress, as well as governor and other statewide races. These officials help decide how your tax money is spent. But the big event isn't the 2020 presidential election, as exciting as that will be. The most important election is next spring, when Dallas chooses a new mayor and City Council.

And there's no Electoral College to get between you and your vote.

Elizabeth Souder is the assistant editorial page editor for The Dallas Morning News. 

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https://www.dallasnews.com/opinion/commentary/2018/09/30/not-votes-equal-make-count