Early voting results show 69.24% of the city of Bastrop voters cast ballots in favor of Proposition M, which aims to ease misdemeanor marijuana charges.
What it means
Known as the Bastrop Freedom Act, the proposed amendment to the Bastrop Home Rule Charter calls to change how city police handle misdemeanor marijuana charges.
Desiree Venable—a Democratic candidate in the Texas House District 17 who submitted a petition to place it on the ballot—said the goals include making misdemeanor marijuana offenses the lowest priority for enforcement and reducing the chance of unfair enforcement by creating clear rules for police actions regarding marijuana offenses.
According to the charter amendment, misdemeanor marijuana charges that would not be wrapped into Proposition M include:
- If the offense is part of a felony narcotics investigation that has been designated as a high priority by a commander, assistant chief of police or chief of police
- If the offense is part of the investigation of a violent felony
What's next?
In early voting, 30,869 in-person ballots were cast countywide, representing 50.27% of Bastrop County's registered voters.
Polls closed at 7 p.m., although voters who were in line at 7 p.m. were still able to cast ballots.
Community Impact will update this article as more election-day vote totals are released. All results are unofficial until canvassed.
Visit bit.ly/Bastrop2024 to see results from all local Bastrop-area elections.
