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County voters conservative on state issues

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Election Day outcomes for Williamson County came as little surprise on Tuesday. Though only 11 percent of voters made it to the polls, the results echoed a general conservative leaning in the county, both in regards to crime and fiscal matters.

While all statewide propositions eventually passed in the Texas polls, Williamson County voters went against the grain on a couple of key points.

According to the unofficial results, Wilco voters turned down proposition 15, which will give approximately $3 billion toward cancer research, with almost 60 percent of voters against. While some said they were against the proposition because it didn't prevent the money from being used for stem cell research, many said they believed cancer research should be left to private corporations.

Another issue Wilco voters opposed was a general construction and improvement bond which also passed on the state level.

The $1 billion bond, which will be used for anything from maintenance and equipment purchases to new prisons and mental health facilities upgrades, failed with 53 percent of voters in the area.

Voters in Williamson County also overwhelmingly supported proposition 13, with 84 percent voting for it. Prop 13 allows judges to deny bail to persons in domestic violence cases who violate a protective order or conditions of pretrial release.

Another highly popular proposition in the county was the disabled veteran tax amendment. This amendment to the state constitution allows veterans who were wounded in combat and as a result have a disability rating of 100 percent to exempt all real or tangible personal property from ad valorem taxation. The measure passed with 84 percent of Wilco voters in favor.

Local voters were also very supportive of a measure to require all votes in the Texas Legislature to be recorded. Proposition 11 passed with a margin of 87 percent.

E-mail: amy@hillcountrynews.com

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