Turnout is expected to be low for today's statewide election, in which voters will choose whether or not to pass 11 amendments to the state Constitution. However, depending upon location, there are a lot of local measures on the ballot as well, including important bond elections for community colleges and independent school districts.
One proposed constitutional amendment deals with higher education. It relates to the effort to develop more "Tier One" research universities. These school are seen as major contributors to prospective jobs and prosperity in the modern economy. UT-Austin and Texas A&M are the only such public universities presently, and the state is reportedly far behind in the competition for research grants and programs.
Here's the ballot language: "The constitutional amendment establishing the national research university fund to enable emerging research universities in this state to achieve national prominence as major research universities and transferring the balance of the higher education fund to the national research university fund."
The universities involved are Texas Tech University, University of Texas at Arlington, University of Texas at Dallas, University of Texas at El Paso, University of Texas at San Antonio, University of Houston, and University of North Texas.
To enable these emerging research universities in Texas to achieve national prominence, this amendment would establish a new National Research University Fund. The University of Texas at Austin and Texas A&M University would not be eligible to receive money from this fund.
The enabling legislation for this amendment would disperse the funds in the National Research University Fund to emerging research institutions through three mechanisms: the Research University Development Fund for educational and general activities that promote increased research capacity, the Texas Research Incentive Program to provide matching grants for donations from private sources, and the National Research University Benchmark Fund to reward universities that meet critical benchmarks toward achieving national prominence as major research universities.
The best source for non-partisan information on elections is the Texas League of Woman Voters. Here's their Voter Guide, which may be printed and taken into the voting booth on election day.
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