HOUSTON -- An $805 million plan to fund and build Houston schools turned into a nail-biting race for those for and against on Tuesday, KPRC Local 2 reported.

But when the Election Day ballots were counted, the bond proposal passed with 51 percent -- 43,584 votes compared to 41,558. The race was split at 50 percent for much of the evening.

The high-profile and controversial race will allow the Houston Independent School District to build 24 new schools, renovate 134 schools, increase security and create science labs at every middle and high school. A tax rate increase was not needed to pass the bond, district officials said.

Sixteen state propositions on the ballot sailed to victory, including an ambitious $3 billion bond plan to beef up cancer research in Texas.

Proposition 15, backed by cancer-fighting groups and Republican and Democratic politicians, received 61 percent of the vote with 39 percent against, with more than half of all precincts reporting. It had drawn opposition from conservatives who believe borrowing money through bonds was bad economic policy.

"Everyone has a stake in the fight against cancer and Texans have taken matters into their own hands by passing Proposition 15, funding 10 years of cancer research in our state," Gov. Rick Perry said in a statement. "I believe that we will look back on this day as a turning point in the war against this deadly disease."

The constitutional amendment would allow the state to give out $300 million over 10 years in grants and potentially attract world-renowned cancer researchers. A portion of the money would be dedicated to cancer prevention.

Proposition 12 authorizes up to $5 billion in bonds for highway improvement projects.

Proposition 4 authorizes $1 billion in bond money for maintenance and construction for state parks, historic sites and crime labs and sets aside money for possible new prisons.

Houston Mayor Bill White easily won re-election to his final, two-year term as leader of the nation's fourth-largest city with only minor opposition. Houston-area residents also voted for city council seats and several local bond elections for schools and roads.

HISD Superintendent Dr. Abelardo Saavedra said he took a vacation day Tuesday to do some extra campaigning for the bond proposal.

"The district started a three phase program 10 years ago," he said. "This is the third and final installment. We have better than a third of our kids that are still in very deteriorated facilities. I think our community understands that."

Opponents to the bond said it only helps certain parts of the city and neglects the rest.

"There's new schools, but they all come at the expense of closing other schools," State Rep. Harold Dutton said. "What we're saying is look, let's not close any school because the theory under which they propose to close these schools has to do with the fact that there's a declining student population. The reason they're declining student population is because most of the students walk over to that school to get on a bus to go some place else."

Some voters said they noticed polling places that were virtually empty.

"I was one of two in line and it's about 2 o'clock in the afternoon, so I'm very disappointed," voter Elizabeth Reese said.

A low turnout was expected.

A professor at Houston Baptist University said bond proposals and ballot propositions do not entice many voters to show up at the polls. Chris Hammons said those who do show up typically feel very intensely about the issues.

"In Texas, that tends to be fiscal conservatives, largely Republicans and usually people who are opposed to bond issues," he said.

Hammons said a presidential election year can bring out about 50 percent of voters. But he said for an off-year such as this one, 10 percent of voters is a pretty good turnout.

HISD was not the only school district with a bond proposal on the ballot. The Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District had an $807 million bond proposal, the Spring Branch Independent School District had a nearly $600 million proposal and the Fort Bend County Independent School District hopes to pass a $420 million bond.

Some voters decided to beat the crowds and participated in the early voting period that ran from Oct. 22 to last Friday. Harris County Clerk's Office officials said early voting was down about 33 percent from 2005. Officials said they expected about 175,000 people to cast their vote on Tuesday.

Officials said 1,798,327 people are registered to vote in Harris County.

State Propositions

Sixteen proposed amendments will be added to the Texas Constitution. Those propositions in their ballot order are as follows.

PROPOSITION 1: Provides for continuing the constitutional appropriation for facilities and other capital items at Angelo State University in a change of governance of the university.
PROPOSITION 2: Provides for issuing $500 million in general obligation bonds to finance student loans and authorizes bond enhancement agreements for general obligation bonds issued for that purpose.
PROPOSITION 3: Authorizes the Legislature to provide that the maximum appraised value of a residence homestead for ad valorem taxation is the lesser of these: the most recent market value of the home as determined by the appraisal entity or 110 percent -- or a greater percentage-- of the appraised value of the home for the preceding tax year.
PROPOSITION 4: Authorizes issuance of up to $1 billion in bonds for maintenance, improvement, repair and construction for state parks, historic sites, crime labs and other state projects and money for potential new prison construction.
PROPOSITION 5: Authorizes the Legislature to permit the voters of a municipality with a population under 10,000 to authorize its governing body to enter an agreement with an owner of real property in or adjacent to the municipality that has been approved for funding under certain programs administered by the Texas Department of Agriculture. Would allow the parties to agree that all ad valorem taxes imposed on the owner's property may not be increased for the first five tax years after the tax year in which the agreement is entered into.
PROPOSITION 6: Authorizes the Legislature to exempt from ad valorem taxation one motor vehicle that the owner uses in his or her occupation or profession and for personal activities.
PROPOSITION 7: Allows governmental entities to sell property acquired through eminent domain back to the previous owners at the price the entities paid to acquire the property.
PROPOSITION 8: Clarifies certain provisions relating to the making of a home equity loan and use of home equity loan proceeds.
PROPOSITION 9: Authorizes the Legislature to exempt all or part of the residence homesteads of certain totally disabled veterans from ad valorem taxation and authorizes a change in the manner of determining the amount of the existing exemption from ad valorem taxation to which a disabled veteran is entitled.
PROPOSITION 10: Abolishes the constitutional authority for the office of inspector of hides and animals.
PROPOSITION 11: Requires that a recorded vote be taken by a house of the Legislature on final passage of any bill, other than certain local bills and ceremonial resolutions, and provides for public access on the Internet to those recorded votes.
PROPOSITION 12: Provides for the issuance of up to $5 billion in general obligation bonds by the Texas Transportation Commission for highway improvement projects.
PROPOSITION 13: Authorizes the denial of bail to someone who violates certain court orders or conditions of release in a felony or family violence case.
PROPOSITION 14: Permits a justice or judge who reaches the mandatory retirement age while in office to serve the remainder of his or her current term.
PROPOSITION 15: Requires the creation of the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas and authorizes issuance of up to $3 billion in bonds for research in Texas to find the causes of and cures for cancer.
PROPOSITION 16: Provides for issuance of additional general obligation bonds by the Texas Water Development Board up to $250 million to provide assistance to economically distressed areas.