Today, Texas voters will be asked to approve several billion dollars in new debt propositions for all manner of projects. While the merits of each project may vary, one thing is true about them all: voters won't have any meaningful information about them provided at the voting booth.
"Local government debt in Texas has reached a staggering $338 billion dollars, or roughly $12,250 owed per person,” said James Quintero, director of the Center for Local Governance at the Texas Public Policy Foundation. “Helping to propel Texas' local debt into the stratosphere is the fact that voters aren't provided with basic financial information when they enter the voting booth.
"Keeping voters uninformed about simple facts—like the potential tax increase or the total cost of the bond—is not a recipe for success. It's critical that the next Texas Legislature take steps to remedy this situation with ballot box transparency."
For more information or to request an interview with Mr. Quintero, please contact Caroline Espinosa at [email protected] or 512-472-2700.
James Quintero is Director of the Center for Local Governance at the Texas Public Policy Foundation.
The Texas Public Policy Foundation is a non-profit, free-market research institute based in Austin, Texas.