Texans will once again have a chance this fall to shape the state Constitution. On Election Day, Nov. 4, voters will decide on 17 proposed constitutional amendments passed by the Legislature earlier this year. Each proposition requires majority approval to take effect. Early voting starts next week, running from Oct. 20–31.
These measures cover a wide range of issues from taxes and education to infrastructure, judicial reform, and parental rights. Here’s a plain-language breakdown of what each one would do:
Proposition 1
Create a permanent fund to help Texas State Technical Colleges build facilities and expand workforce education.
Proposition 2
Ban the state from ever creating a capital gains tax on investment profits.
Proposition 3
Allow judges to deny bail to people accused of certain serious violent crimes.
Proposition 4
Establish a Texas Water Fund to finance long-term water infrastructure projects across the state.
Proposition 5
Exempt animal feed inventories held by retailers from property taxes.
Proposition 6
Prohibit the state from taxing securities transactions or imposing new taxes on financial trades.
Proposition 7
Extend property tax exemptions to surviving spouses of veterans who died from service-connected causes.
Proposition 8
Constitutionally ban any inheritance or estate tax (which Texas currently does not levy).
Proposition 9
Allow the Legislature to exempt certain business equipment and machinery from property taxes.
Proposition 10
Let homeowners receive a temporary property tax exemption on repaired portions of homes damaged by fire.
Proposition 11
Increase school property tax exemptions for seniors and Texans with disabilities.
Proposition 12
Overhaul how the State Commission on Judicial Conduct operates, including how judges are investigated and disciplined.
Proposition 13
Raise the school homestead property tax exemption from $100,000 to $140,000.
Proposition 14
Create a Texas Institute for Dementia Research and Prevention with $3 billion in state funding.
Proposition 15
Add constitutional language affirming parents’ rights to direct their children’s education and upbringing.
Proposition 16
Specify that only U.S. citizens are eligible to vote in Texas elections.
Proposition 17
Allow border-county governments to exempt certain property used for border-security infrastructure from tax increases.
Texans can read the official ballot language on the Secretary of State’s website and find another helpful voter guide at KUT.org.
To check your voter registration, find polling locations, or review sample ballots, visit VoteTexas.gov.