Election Results: Higher Ed Financing Measures Pass in LA, TX

Louisiana and Texas voters approved measures to provide funding sources for student loans while voters in Colorado rejected a measure that would have temporarily increased taxes to offset cuts for public schools and colleges. Meanwhile, Ohio voters repealed a bill passed earlier this year limiting collective-bargaining rights of state employees. Official results are outlined below:

• Colorado Proposition 103 was defeated 64 percent to 36 percent, reports The Denver Post. The measure would have increased the state income tax to 5 percent from 4.63 percent and the sales tax to 3 percent from 2.9 percent. Revenue generated from the increase would have been used to help fund education in the state.
• Louisiana Voters passed Amendment 1 with 67 percent approval. The measure re-directs tobacco settlement proceeds to the Taylor Opportunity Program for Students (TOPS) scholarship program once the balance in the state's Millennium Trust Fund reaches $1.38 billion. The scholarship program is available for state residents who attend public colleges or universities.
• Ohio Voters approved a referendum to repeal SB 5 by a margin of 61-39 percent. The measure would have limited collective bargaining rights of state employees and possibly increased employee contributions for health care and pensions. If the referendum failed, most public college professors would be severed from the collective bargaining process, reports The Chronicle of Higher Education.
• Texas Proposition 3, allowing the state to issue general obligation bonds to finance educational loans to students, passed 54.5 percent to 45 percent. Incumbent governors in Kentucky and Louisiana easily won re-election, and in Mississippi, a new Republican governor was elected, allowing the GOP to maintain control of the governor's office. Lt. Gov. Phil Bryant will succeed Haley Barbour, who was term-limited. Ten states will elect governors next year.