Voting in Texas is novel for me, as there were a host of constitutional amendments to vote on. The process to amend our state Constitution is fairly common, and there are over 800 amendments so far. One amendment in particular should be of note to readers of this blog–Proposition 9:

SJR 42 would expand the potential sanctions that the State Commission on Judicial Conduct can issue following a formal proceeding. This constitutional amendment would allow the Commission to issue an order of public admonition, warning, reprimand, or a requirement to obtain additional training or education in addition to the Commission’s current authority to issue a public censure or recommend removal or retirement of a judge.

The proposed amendment will appear on the ballot as follows: “The constitutional amendment relating to expanding the types of sanctions that may be assessed against a judge or justice following a formal proceeding instituted by the State Commission on Judicial Conduct.”

The amendment passed overwhelmingly, with over 85% of the vote.

And in other election news, a referendum that would’ve floated a bond to fund the renovation of the Astrodome failed. I first learned of the Astrodome from the opening scene of the movie Selena. Then I realized that the Bad News Bears played in the Astrodome. Oh well. There’s no place like dome.