Americans cast ballots on specific state ag issues
While most of the attention during the U.S. midterm elections focused on which party would secure control of the House and Senate, voters also cast ballots on individual state issues with some affecting local farmers.
Here’s how some Americans voted on those issues.
In Georgia, about 54 percent of voters approved Amendment 1 related to agricultural and timber property tax classification.
This measure proposed increasing the maximum acreage of farmland or timber property a single owner can enroll in Georgia’s Conservation Use Valuation Assessment (CUVA) program from 2,000 acres to 4,000 acres.
“This expansion will modernize the CUVA program and provide meaningful support to those who work hard to keep Georgia agriculture thriving,” the Georgia Farm Bureau said on its Facebook page.
Under CUVA, land used for agriculture, timber production or conservation is taxed at 40 percent of its current value.
Voters in Florida also cast a ballot related to tax measures.
Amendment 2 proposed exempting “agricultural-related tangible personal property, such as farm equipment or tools,” from property taxes.
More than 58 percent of voters supported the measure but constitutional amendments in Florida require at least 60 percent of support for approval.
Therefore, the vote did not pass.
Farmers hoped Floridians would’ve provided them with some cost relief.
Tax savings “allows us to reinvest that money into other things, such as, I mean seed, fertilizer, fuel, all that, especially right now with the high cost of fuel,” farmer Garrison Glass told WJHG. “Input costs are very high. So it’s hard to make a living farming right now.”
Part of State Question 847 in Oklahoma pertained to ag.
This question in part called for reducing the annual property assessment increase limit for homesteads and farmlands from 3 percent to 1.75 percent.
Just over 54 percent of people voted against Question 847, meaning existing property tax rules across the state will remain as they are.
David Holt, the mayor of Oklahoma City, says the results show Oklahomans care about the things tax dollars fund.
“When given the opportunity to lower their property taxes, the voters said NO. As it turned out, they’d rather have good schools and streets,” he said on his Facebook page. “Defeating State Question 847 was a great thing, and it also sent a strong signal to those who will represent us at the State Capitol in 2027 and the years ahead.”
Issue 4 in Arkansas dealt with water projects.
More than 56 percent of voters supported Issue 4, which proposed allowing the Arkansas Natural Resources Commission to issue up to $500 million in bonds for water-related infrastructure projects including irrigation and drainage.
And in Colorado, 52 percent of voters supported Proposition 137 allowing the State to retain some sales tax revenue from sporting goods stores for initiatives like water conservation and land protection.