Voters statewide approved state constitutional amendments inspired by the pandemic. Photo: Matthew Busch/Bloomberg via Getty Images
The COVID-19 pandemic led to a pair of statewide constitutional amendments that passed Tuesday.
Between the lines: Proposition 3, which was approved 63% to 37%, bars governments from taking any action that "prohibits or limits religious services."
- The proposition is part of a much broader national COVID-19 debate that pits public health officials bent on stymieing the disease's spread against pastors who say they were protecting their practice of religion.
Proposition 6, which was approved 88% to 12%, gives residents of nursing homes and long-term care facilities the right to designate an "essential caregiver" who could not, under most circumstances, be barred from in-person visits.
- The proposition comes after stories of elderly people enduring months of isolation as part of the fight against COVID-19.
Early voting results suggested both amendments would pass.
Get more local stories in your inbox with Axios Austin.
More Austin stories
No stories could be found
Get a free daily digest of the most important news in your backyard with Axios Austin.