Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has filed an amicus letter with the Texas Supreme Court, opposing actions taken by the Dallas City Council. The council substantially altered ballot language in a manner that could obscure the meaning of certain initiatives to voters. Texas supports petitioners' claims that these last-minute changes and additions to the November ballot language are misleading and fail to meet court standards designed to ensure voter clarity.
The brief notes, “[I]t is hard to reconcile the ultimate result with this Court’s longstanding rule that ballot language should be written in a way to ‘identify the amendment and to show its character and purposes, so that the voters will be familiar with the amendment and its purposes when they cast their ballots.’”
Dallas HERO, an organization, collected sufficient signatures to place three charter amendments on the local election ballot in November. The first proposed amendment would allow residents to sue the city if it fails or refuses to enforce laws, waiving its immunity against such suits. The second amendment would mandate an annual survey of residents assessing the city manager's performance for compensation and employment decisions. The third amendment seeks increased funding for police and firefighter salaries and pensions. By law, these amendments must be added to the ballot.
However, without explaining their "character and purpose," the City Council proposed additional charter amendments intended effectively to negate those proposed by Dallas HERO. This action contradicts established precedent meant to protect ballot-initiative elections' integrity.
To read the letter, click here.