We Won't Go Back Fems

TEXAS GENERAL ELECTION

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DATES:

Early voting period: Monday, October 20 – Friday, October 31, 2025

Election Day: Tuesday, November 4, 2025

FEMS Lens: people first, strong public systems, sustainable budgets, no performative policy.

🗳️ FEMS 2025 Texas Ballot Voter Guide 🗳️

How to use this guide

This page lists all statewide propositions with the FEMS perspective on the vote, a plain-language why, and at least one free source you can read. FEMS support real investments in education, water, and public health. FEMS oppose constitutional bans and carveouts that tie our hands or quietly drain school and local budgets.

Note: Links provided for information and accountability. Use your own judgment and local context. Most importantly, if you are registered to vote, GO VOTE!

How Texas Constitutional Amendments Work

Texas doesn’t have citizen ballot initiatives like some states where voters collect signatures to put ideas on the ballot. In Texas,only the Legislature can propose constitutional amendments—so every proposition you see comes from a bill that passed both chambers of the Texas House and Senate with a two-thirds vote.

After that, voters decide whether to add it to the Constitution. If a majority votes “Yes,” it becomes part of the Texas Constitution.

Can it ever be changed?

Yes, but only through the same process. To undo or revise an amendment, lawmakers must again pass it by a two-thirds vote in both chambers, and voters must approve it statewide. That means nothing on this ballot is forever, but changing it later is slow and politically difficult.

Why are there so many amendments?

Texas writes more policy into its Constitution than most states. Over time, that’s made it one of the longest state constitutions in the U.S.—over 90,000 words and more than 500 amendments. Things other states handle with laws—like tax exemptions, funds, or boards—often end up here because it’s the only way to guarantee them or limit future lawmakers.

What does that mean for voters?

  • A “Yes” vote writes something directly into the Constitution.
  • A “No” vote leaves lawmakers free to handle it through normal lawmaking later.
  • Nuance matters: a good idea doesn’t always belong in the Constitution if it limits flexibility or hides costs down the line.

In short: the ballot is our, We The Peoples, only direct say in what’s permanently locked into the state’s governing document. It is worth reading the “why” for each proposition before casting your ballot.

Jump to a proposition

Prop 1: Texas State Technical College Endowment Vote YES
Why: Workforce education is a public good. A permanent endowment stabilizes training for electricians, welders, and technicians. Good for mobility and the real economy.
Source: Texas Legislative Council analysis
Prop 2: Ban on a Texas Capital Gains Tax Vote NO
Why: Do not lock out a progressive revenue tool. Future leaders may need it to fund schools, water, and health care fairly.
Sources: Texas Tribune overview · Texas Policy Research explainer

Tax Terms Explained

What is progressive revenue?

Progressive revenue means taxes where people with higher incomes pay a higher percentage. It’s designed so those who can afford more contribute more. Example: federal income tax.

What is regressive revenue?

Regressive revenue means everyone pays the same rate or amount,which takes a larger share from lower-income earners. Example: sales taxes and flat fees.

What is a capital gains tax?

A capital gains tax is a tax on wealth, not on income. It applies to profits made from selling things that have gained value—like stocks, real estate, or businesses. Since most wealth in the U.S. is held in these kinds of assets, a capital gains tax targets wealth growth rather than wages, and therefore wealthy individuals, not the working class.

What type of tax system does Texas have?

Texas has no state income tax. The state relies mostly on sales taxes and property taxes, which are regressive because everyone pays the same rate regardless of income.

Why does banning a capital gains tax matter?

Writing a ban into the Texas Constitution would permanently block lawmakers from ever creating a tax on investment profits. That means Texas would stay locked into a regressive system where working families pay a higher share of their income than wealthy investors, limiting future funding options for schools, health care, and infrastructure.

Prop 3: Mandatory Denial of Bail for Certain Felonies Vote NO
Why: Charge-based blanket detention harms due process and grows jail populations. Keep risk-based decisions with hearings.
Source: Houston Chronicle explainer
Prop 4: Dedicate Sales Tax to the Texas Water Fund Vote YES
Why: Texas is growing and drying at the same time. Dedicated repair and resilience funding is responsible and future-minded.
Source: Texas Tribune overview
Prop 5: Property Tax Exemption for Retail Animal Feed Inventory Vote NO
Why: Permanent carveouts chip away at local revenue with little public benefit. If help is needed, fund it transparently.
Source: Texas Legislative Council analysis
Prop 6: Ban Taxes on Securities Transactions and Related Occupations Vote NO
Why: Forever shielding financial trades removes a tool future lawmakers might need for public needs.
Source: Texas Legislative Council analysis
Prop 7: Homestead Relief for Surviving Spouses of Veterans Who Died of Service-Connected Illness Vote YES
Why: Targeted and deserved relief for families who carry the burdens of service.
Source: Texas Tribune overview
Prop 8: Ban on Estate and Inheritance Taxes Vote NO
Why: Texas already has no estate tax. Making a ban constitutional ties the hands of future leaders and entrenches inequality.
Source: Ballotpedia summary
Prop 9: Exempt up to 125,000 dollars of Business Inventory and Equipment from Local Property Tax Vote NO
Why: Across the state, this drains local revenue and forces state backfills. A quiet shift of costs away from public services.
Source: Texas Policy Research explainer
Prop 10: Temporary Tax Relief for Homes Destroyed by Fire Vote YES
Why: Time-limited relief for disaster recovery is compassionate and practical.
Source: Texas Legislative Council analysis
Prop 11: Bigger School-District Homestead Exemption for Elderly and Disabled Vote NO
Why: Relief should be well targeted. Broad exemptions reduce school funding and shift costs to renters and younger workers.
Source: Houston Chronicle Editorial Board
Prop 12: Restructure the State Commission on Judicial Conduct Vote NO
Why: Risks politicizing judicial discipline by increasing gubernatorial leverage. We want accountability with independence intact.

This amendment would change who serves on the State Commission on Judicial Conduct (SCJC) — the group that investigates and disciplines judges.

Right now, the Texas Supreme Court must appoint six sitting judges to the commission. → This change would let the court appoint any six people it chooses, not necessarily judges, as long as the Senate agrees.

The governor’s appointees would increase from five to seven members. Those governor-appointed members would no longer need to be non-lawyers or non-public employees, and their minimum age would rise from 30 to 35.

This change would also remove the rule requiring two attorneys with at least 10 years of experience to serve. In short: this amendment gives political leaders more flexibility and potentially more power—over who sits on the commission that holds judges accountable.

Source: Houston Chronicle Editorial Board
Prop 13: Raise the General School Homestead Exemption to 140,000 dollars Vote NO
Why: Broad cuts drain recurring dollars from classrooms and weaken equalization between rich and poor districts.
Source: Houston Chronicle Editorial Board
Prop 14: Create a 3 billion dollar Dementia Prevention and Research Institute Vote YES
Why: Modeled after CPRIT. Public science saves lives and supports long horizon health investments.
Sources: Austin American-Statesman explainer · Texas Tribune overview
Prop 15: Add Parental Rights Language to the Constitution Vote NO
Why: Redundant at best and weaponizable at worst against inclusive curricula and student protections. Keep policy in statute.
Source: Houston Chronicle Editorial Board
Prop 16: Add Citizenship Requirement for Voting to the Constitution Vote NO
Why: Already state law. Writing it into the Constitution is messaging that can fuel voter suppression narratives.
Sources: Ballotpedia summary · Houston Chronicle Editorial Board
Prop 17: Property Tax Exemption tied to Border Security Infrastructure Vote NO
Why: Encourages more border build-out while shifting local tax burdens. Not how we keep communities safe or solvent.
Source: Houston Chronicle Editorial Board

Footnotes and free sources

  1. Texas Tribune overview of the 2025 ballot
  2. Texas Legislative Council. Condensed Analyses of Proposed Constitutional Amendments, 2025
  3. Houston Chronicle explainer on Prop 3 and bail
  4. Houston Chronicle Editorial Board guide to the amendments
  5. Ballotpedia. Texas Prop 8 summary
  6. Ballotpedia. Texas Prop 16 summary
  7. Austin American-Statesman explainer on the dementia institute proposal
  8. Texas Policy Research. 2025 amendments explained