The battle for Texas independence has always been about truth. And today, the truth has emerged that shatters years of excuses from elected officials who claimed their hands were tied on a TEXIT referendum.
A memo currently circulating on the floor of the Texas House has exposed what many of us in the TEXIT movement have known all along – that the Texas Legislature absolutely possesses the power to authorize a referendum on issues of statewide significance. The evidence is not just compelling; it’s irrefutable.
The memo clearly states: “Texas does not provide for citizen-led referendums at the state level, but the legislature may pass legislation mandating a referendum on a particular topic.” It continues, declaring that “voter approval of the referendum is a condition that must be satisfied before the provisions of the bill can become operative.”
For over a decade, TEXIT supporters have heard the same tired excuse from elected officials – that the Legislature simply doesn’t have the authority to put issues to a vote of the citizens unless it’s a constitutional amendment. Time and again, when we’ve pushed for the Texas Independence Referendum Act, we’ve been told it was legally impossible.
The truth is now clear as day – they’ve either been lying or they’re woefully ignorant of their own powers.
Let’s not forget what happened when State Representative James White submitted the Texas Independence Referendum Act several sessions back. The Texas Legislative Council – that shadowy bureaucratic gatekeeper – stripped the referendum provision from the draft using this exact same misinformation. They transformed what could have been a meaningful vote on our independence into nothing more than HCR77, a toothless resolution that changed absolutely nothing.
Yet now, when it suits their political purposes, Democrats opposed to the current “School Choice” legislation are suddenly advocating for the very referendum power they’ve denied exists when it comes to TEXIT.
The memo details multiple historical examples where Texas has held statewide referenda, including:
- The 1987 Horse Racing Referendum, through Senate Bill 15, which reinstated legal pari-mutuel wagering
- The 1989 State Board of Education Referendum, through Senate Bill 86, which (though it failed) asked voters whether the SBOE should be appointed rather than elected
Other precedents cited include HB 3 by Rep. Jim Keffer from the 79th Legislature and HB 1776 by Rep. Ron Wilson from the 73rd Legislature.
These weren’t constitutional amendments. They were legislatively authorized referendums on political questions – exactly what TEXIT supporters have been demanding all along.
The Federal Government is not going to save us. The Texas political establishment is not going to save us. Only Texans can save Texas, and to do that, we need the truth. The memo now circulating in the Capitol provides it in black and white.
The next time you hear an elected official claim they can’t give Texans a vote on independence because “the Legislature doesn’t have that power,” you now have the ammunition to call them out on this falsehood. The power exists. It has been used repeatedly throughout Texas history. What’s lacking is not authority but political courage.
Our objective remains clear: the complete, total, and unencumbered political, cultural, and economic independence of Texas. The path to that objective runs through a referendum authorized by the Texas Legislature – a power they undeniably possess.
The forces arrayed against TEXIT have relied on misinformation and procedural roadblocks for too long. Armed with the truth, it’s time for TEXIT supporters to demand what is rightfully ours – a vote on independence.
Let your representatives know that the jig is up. The Legislature has the power to give Texans a vote on independence. Now they need to use it.
As we have said from the beginning: Let Texans Vote!
