Opinion: Proposition A ... and A and A and A: The Case for Reforming How We Label Ballot Measures

It's another election in Texas so you know that means: It's time to vote on Prop A! Do you remember how you voted on the last Prop A? No, not the one in November of 2022, the one in May of 2022. Or wait, actually, maybe it was the one in November ... but in 2021. It's enough to cause some sleepless nights.

Prop A shows up every year on ballots around Texas and it's because Senate Bill 957, a 2017 state law, mandates it. This law requires that statewide constitutional amendments be numbered, while local measures be labeled with letters. The reasoning makes sense – it's so that voters can distinguish between state and local ballot measures. There is no geographic, partisan, rural, or urban advantage or disadvantage because the rule applies equally to all local jurisdictions around the state. Even the original law was bipartisan!

Yet while statewide constitutional amendments only appear on ballots once every two years, local measures appear on ballots every year – and often several times per year. So while the law seeks to offer clarity to voters, it also creates confusion.

There are several immediate fixes that can help end this madness.

Right now the Texas Legislature is in session, and this law can be amended to explicitly state that localities should run through the alphabet before starting over again at A. In Travis County alone we have nine reliable legislators to call upon: Senators Sarah Eckhardt and Judith Zaffirini, as well as Representatives John Bucy, Sheryl Cole, Lulu Flores, Vikki Goodwin, Gina Hinojosa, Donna Howard, and James Talarico.

Another option could be a written opinion. Back in 2017, the secretary of state issued a letter to localities instructing them that local measures must now be labeled with a letter, though it did not state if the sequence of letters would need to be reset every election. An opinion on this could be helpful, though a change in the law would remove all doubt.

Not only can these changes help heighten voter clarity, but they can also help the historical record. Right now if you want to look up historical information on Proposition A, you're going to need the year – and month! – that it took place in order to get the right one. And even then let's hope your Google search takes you to the right place.

Finally, think of the new campaign slogans! We could have "Si on C" or get another chance to have fun with "F No!" And who knows? We might even get to finally "Catch Some Zs."

Ed Espinoza is a political consultant based in Austin and serves as a political analyst for Fox 7 Austin.