Candidate Admits to Gaming Homestead Exemption.
Residency is just a vibe, bro.
Continuing the Texas political culture of running in places you may or may not live, Robert “Bob” Mitchell, a candidate for HD129, has a residency issue and many people are asking if it disqualifies him from running.
Bob Mitchell of Comal County, or Harris County depending on what address you’re looking at, currently has a homestead exemption for a house in Canyon Lake in Comal County. However, HD129, the district Bob is running in, is about 200 miles east of where his homstead exemption is, seemingly making Mitchell unqualified to run in HD129.
But we live in Texas where residency is just a vibe and you can live and run wherever you want; the residency requirements are made up and the voting records don’t matter.
In Bob Mitchell’s defense, he is registered to vote in Harris County, where he told Current Revolt his primary residence was:
Current Revolt spoke to Mitchell who confirmed his homestead exemption for the property in Comal County, but that he lived in Harris County. When asked which property he saves the most taxes on by claiming a homestead exemption, Mitchell told us it was indeed his Comal County residence. Mitchell told us that the Comal County residence was planned to be his home for retirement.
Current Revolt asked Mitchell if he was gaming the system by living in one place but claiming a homestead exemption in another, to which he replied:
“Well yeah…who wouldn’t do that?
-Bob Mitchell
Amazing.
Current Revolt asked AI if it is illegal to claim a homestead exemption on a property where you do not live as your primary residence. We were given the following answer:
Residency is a state of mind
does this apply to local county elections so that I can run for a different precinct because I spent the night at a house in that precinct or maybe because I'm looking to buy or rent in that precinct???