Texas 2025 Constitutional Amendments Ballot Guide And Vote Recommendations

Defend Water, Schools, and Democracy: A progressive guide through 17 ballot measures

Aug 27, 2025

On Tuesday, November 4, 2025, Texans will head to the polls for the Uniform Election Date to decide on 17 proposed constitutional amendments. These are structural changes that will lock in priorities for decades, and the right is already lining up to push their corporate tax breaks, culture-war distractions, and anti-democracy measures. That’s why we need to be crystal clear about what’s at stake and make a plan to vote.

Here are the key dates you need to know for this election:

Last Day to Register to Vote: Monday, October 6, 2025
First Day of Early Voting (in person): Monday, October 20, 2025
Last Day to Apply for Ballot by Mail (received, not postmarked): Friday, October 24, 2025
Last Day of Early Voting: Friday, October 31, 2025
Election Day: Tuesday, November 4, 2025
Deadline for Ballots by Mail to be Received:
- Tuesday, November 4, 2025, by 7:00 p.m. if not postmarked
- Wednesday, November 5, 202,5, by 5:00 p.m. if postmarked by 7:00 p.m. on Election Day

These dates matter because turnout in these so-called “off-year” constitutional elections is usually dismal, and that’s exactly how the right likes it. Low turnout means the wealthy, the well-connected, and the extremists win by default. However, if working people, renters, students, and progressives show up, we can turn the tide. Let’s get into it.

(Legend: ✅ = Support, ❌ = Oppose, 🟡 = Neutral)

✅Prop 1 - Texas State Technical College Funding.

This proposition creates funds for capital needs at Texas State Technical Colleges. It will fund working-class education. In plain English, it invests in classrooms, equipment, and infrastructure that prepare working-class Texans for real, good-paying jobs, such as electricians, welders, mechanics, nurses, and other skilled professionals.

❌ Prop 2 - No Capital Gains Tax.

This is nothing but a constitutional handout for the wealthy. It bans any future attempt to tax profits from the sale of or gains on investments, as well as the money made by stock traders, hedge fund managers, and the ultra-rich.

Texas doesn’t have a capital gains tax now, but enshrining it in the Constitution guarantees that we can never ask billionaires to pay their fair share. It’s a preemptive strike against economic justice and future progressive reforms, and it solidifies the current system, where the rich get richer while working people bear the tax burden.

A vote no is a vote to keep the door open for real tax fairness.

❌Prop 3 - Denying Bail For Certain Crimes.

While the Republicans have painted this proposition as a public safety measure to allow judges to deny bail for certain people accused of serious crimes if there’s evidence they’re a flight risk or a danger, the truth is it hands even more power to a criminal justice system that already targets Black and brown Texans at every stage.

Pretrial detention is about punishment before conviction. We’ve seen it throughout history, from Jim Crow-era laws designed to keep Black people locked up and out of civic life, to today’s mass incarceration pipeline where wealth decides freedom. This amendment would embed those same injustices into our state constitution, eroding due process and expanding the reach of a system that profits off incarceration.

✅ Prop 4 – Dedicated Water Fund.

This amendment would direct up to $1 billion per year into a Texas Water Fund to improve infrastructure. Republicans oppose it because they hate public investment, but the truth is, Texas water systems are crumbling. Climate change is straining supplies, droughts are worsening, and corporate agriculture continues to drain aquifers. Public water is climate justice. We need strong safeguards to make sure this fund serves communities and not just corporations, but investing in clean, reliable water is essential for survival in Texas.

✅ Prop 5 – Exempt Animal Feed from Taxes.

This one’s straightforward. It would exempt animal feed held for sale at retail from taxes. That’s a relief for small farmers and ranchers, many of whom are struggling against corporate agribusiness and rising costs. It’s not flashy, but it’s a fair measure that helps local agriculture without enriching the wealthy.

❌ Prop 6 – Ban Stock Trade Tax.

This is Wall Street protectionism in disguise.

It permanently bans Texas from ever taxing securities trades or imposing new fees on financial market operators. That means no transaction taxes on billionaires day-trading futures and options, no progressive reforms to rein in speculation. In other words, it gives hedge funds and brokers free rein while working-class Texans are nickel-and-dimed on sales and property taxes.

✅ Prop 7 – Property Tax Break for Surviving Spouses of Veterans.

This amendment provides property tax relief for surviving spouses of veterans who died from service-connected conditions. It’s narrow and humane, giving families long-term security after immense sacrifice.

❌ Prop 8 – Ban Estate and Gift Taxes.

This is another constitutional giveaway to the ultra-rich. Texas doesn’t currently have estate or gift taxes, but this locks in a permanent ban, ensuring that future generations can’t ever be subject to progressive wealth taxes.

It’s about protecting dynastic fortunes, keeping billions in the hands of a few families, and deepening inequality while working people pay higher and higher property taxes. This measure slams the door on economic justice.

🟡 Prop 9 – Business Equipment Tax Exemption.

This would exempt up to $250,000 worth of business equipment or tools from property taxes. On the surface, it helps small businesses, farmers, and self-employed Texans who really do need relief. However, the loophole is apparent. Corporations and large agribusinesses will likely find ways to exploit it. That means less money for schools and communities, while wealthy operators get another tax break. Neutral overall. It’s good for some, risky if abused.

🟡 Prop 10 – Property Tax Relief After Home Fire.

This amendment lets homeowners temporarily avoid property taxes on a house that’s been destroyed by fire. That’s humane and compassionate, but it’s also limited since most homeowners already have insurance and disaster provisions in place. It’s a minor fix, not a game-changer. Neutral/lean yes.

✅ Prop 11 – Increased School Tax Break for Elderly and Disabled.

This measure increases the school property tax exemption for elderly and disabled Texans from $10,000 to $60,000. That’s direct relief for vulnerable people who are often on fixed incomes, and the state covers the loss to schools. Republicans opposed it because they hate funding public goods, but progressives should support this kind of targeted protection.

❌ Prop 12 – Judge Oversight Changes.

This expands and restructures the State Commission on Judicial Conduct, granting new powers and altering the disciplinary process. On paper, it appears to promote accountability, but in practice, it risks politicizing judicial discipline and undermining effective oversight. With Texas’s history of partisan capture, this could easily be weaponized against progressive judges and shield the powerful.

✅ Prop 13 – Increased School Tax Break for All Homeowners.

This raises the school homestead exemption from $100,000 to $140,000. It’s meaningful relief for homeowners, and the state promises to backfill school funding. The downside is that renters get nothing, and the wealthy benefit disproportionately. Still, in the current system, this helps many families, but progressives should pair support with a demand for renter relief next.

✅ Prop 14 – Dementia Research Institute ($3B).

This would create a publicly funded research institute for dementia, Alzheimer’s, and related diseases, with $3 billion in dedicated funding. Republicans oppose it because they don’t want public money used for health research, but this is precisely the kind of investment we need. Public health should not be left to the discretion of Big Pharma or private markets.

❌ Prop 15 – “Parental Rights” Amendment.

This sounds harmless. Who doesn’t want parents involved in their kids’ lives? But it’s a Trojan horse for the right’s culture war. This amendment would enshrine “parental rights” language in the Constitution, which will be used to attack LGBTQ kids, ban books, muzzle teachers, and weaken public schools. It’s about control, not care.

❌ Prop 16 – Citizenship Requirement to Vote.

Voting in Texas is already limited to US citizens. This amendment does nothing new. It just bakes xenophobic messaging into the Constitution. It’s about stoking fear of immigrants, not about election integrity. Redundant, dangerous, and designed to scapegoat.

❌ Prop 17 – Border Security Tax Exemption.

This would exempt landowners in border counties from property taxes on “border security” infrastructure (i.e., fencing, walls, surveillance, and militarized improvements). It’s Abbott’s border theater repackaged as a tax perk. Public money should never subsidize racism, militarism, or private walls.

This November election isn’t glamorous, but that’s exactly why it matters.

Every single one of these propositions tells us the same story. The right wants to cement power for the wealthy, feed their culture wars, and keep working people divided. When turnout is low, they win. When we show up, they lose.

These so-called “off-year” constitutional amendments determine who pays taxes, who receives relief, who is incarcerated, and who is left behind. The right counts on you staying home, and they’ve built their entire playbook around low turnout.

We don’t have to give them that win. Spread the word, bring your neighbors, remind your family, and make a plan to vote early. A ballot in November might not feel as loud as a march in the street, but it’s still a weapon, and if we use it together, we can shift the balance of power toward justice, fairness, and working people.

See you at the polls.