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Senator Lewick proposes giving property owners voting rights on bond and property tax questions in districts where they own land
Summary
Senator Larry Lewick asked the committee to consider a constitutional change that would allow property owners who live outside a taxing district to vote on property‑tax or bonding questions affecting parcels they own.
Senator Larry Lewick introduced Senate Concurrent Resolution 4,022, a proposal aimed at allowing individuals who own property in a taxing district but reside elsewhere to vote on ballot questions related to property tax or bonds affecting that property.
Senator Lewick told the committee the proposal responds to cases where property owners—farmers, absentee owners and out‑of‑state owners—have an interest in local bond or levy votes but cannot vote because their primary residence is in another district. He emphasized that his intent was not to change general residency voting rights but to give an additional, narrowly focused franchise for property‑related elections.
Committee members raised practical and legal questions about administration. Senator Wallen and Senator Lee asked how counties would verify ownership and prevent double voting, whether separate ballots would be required for property‑only electors, and how the measure would interact with current voter‑ID and precinct procedures. Senator Lewick said he proposed a delayed effective date (August 2027 in the draft) to allow counties and election officials time to resolve those operational issues.
No formal action was taken during the hearing. The record includes requests that sponsors provide additional drafting to address verification, to define whether multiple owners would receive a single vote and to identify whether any other states use a comparable system.
