This year, the ballot carries 17 constitutional amendments. On paper, they look like legal language and fine print. In real life, they touch our homes, our water, our taxes, our schools, our families, and our dignity. They are about who gets relief when disaster strikes, who has access to research that could save a loved one’s memory, who pays and who is protected. Every “yes” or “no” is more than a checkbox. It is a direction Texas will walk toward.
See below the 17 constitutional amendments:
Propositions on the Texas Ballot (November 4, 2025)
1. Proposition 1 — Create permanent funds for Texas State Technical College System to shore up workforce training and capital projects Texas Senate+1
o YES means: More funding to train workers and upgrade technical colleges.
o NO means: No new funding source for these schools.
2. Proposition 2 — Prohibit capital gains tax on individuals, estates, trusts Texas Secretary of State+1
o YES means: The state can never tax your investment profits.
o NO means: The legislature could one day create a state capital gains tax.
3. Proposition 3 — Deny bail under certain circumstances for felony offenses Texas Secretary of State+1
o YES means: Judges can deny bail in more serious cases.
o NO means: Current bail rules stay in place.
4. Proposition 4 — Allocate a portion of state sales/use taxes to the Texas Water Fund Texas Secretary of State+1
o YES means: Dedicated money for water projects and infrastructure.
o NO means: Water projects continue to compete for general budget funds.
5. Proposition 5 — Exempt animal feed for retail sale from property tax Texas Secretary of State+1
o YES means: Feed sellers won’t pay property tax on their feed inventory.
o NO means: They keep paying those taxes.
6. Proposition 6 — Prohibit legislature from taxing certain securities transactions Texas Secretary of State+1
o YES means: Stock trades and other securities transactions can’t be taxed.
o NO means: Lawmakers could create such a tax in the future.
7. Proposition 7 — Exempt surviving spouses of veterans (service-connected disease) from part of residence homestead value for property tax Texas Secretary of State+1
o YES means: More property tax relief for widows/widowers of veterans who died from service-connected illness.
o NO means: Current, narrower exemptions stay.
8. Proposition 8 — Prohibit estate, inheritance, gift taxes Texas Secretary of State+1
o YES means: Texas can never tax estates, inheritances, or large gifts.
o NO means: Lawmakers could one day add such taxes.
9. Proposition 9 — Exempt tangible personal property held or used for income production up to a certain value from property taxes Texas Secretary of State+1
o YES means: Small businesses can exempt more equipment or property value from taxes.
o NO means: The current exemption cap remains.
10. Proposition 10 — Temporary exemption for improvements on homesteads destroyed by fire Texas Secretary of State+1
o YES means: Homeowners whose houses are destroyed by fire (or disaster) get tax relief.
o NO means: They continue paying normal property taxes, even on destroyed homes.
11. Proposition 11 — Increase homestead tax exemption for elderly and disabled persons Texas Secretary of State+1
o YES means: Bigger property tax cuts for elderly and disabled homeowners.
o NO means: Exemptions stay at current levels.
12. Proposition 12 — Change membership and authority of State Commission on Judicial Conduct to strengthen oversight of judges and justices Texas Secretary of State+1
o YES means: A restructured commission can investigate and discipline judges more effectively.
o NO means: The current system stays.
13. Proposition 13 — Raise residence homestead property value exemption from $100,000 to $140,000 Texas Secretary of State+1
o YES means: Every homeowner gets a bigger property tax break.
o NO means: It stays at $100k.
14. Proposition 14 — Establish Dementia Prevention and Research Institute of Texas, with $3B funding Wikipedia+1
o YES means: Billions in new research funding for dementia prevention and care.
o NO means: No new institute or dedicated research money.
15. Proposition 15 — Affirm that parents are primary decision makers in their children’s upbringing Texas Secretary of State+1
o YES means: The constitution formally states parents are the main decision-makers in raising their kids.
o NO means: That language isn’t added.
16. Proposition 16 — Clarify in the constitution that only United States citizens may vote Texas Secretary of State+1
o YES means: Only U.S. citizens can vote in any Texas election.
o NO means: The constitution doesn’t explicitly say that, though it’s already law.
17. Proposition 17 — Exempt from property tax border counties’ increase in property value that attaches to border security infrastructure or related improvements Texas Secretary of State+1
o YES means: Counties along the border won’t pay taxes on increased property value tied to border security projects.
o NO means: Those tax rules stay the same.
Clearly the stakes are not abstract. They are the roof over our parents’ heads, the classrooms our children sit in, the water running from our faucets, the fairness of our courts, and the communities we call home.
It can be easy to feel like our voices are too small, that the system is too heavy to move. But history proves otherwise. Texans have always carried resilience in their bones.
If you are already a voter, this is your moment to bring someone with you. If you are not yet registered, there is still time until October 6. Make a plan. Mark the calendar. Talk to your family, friends, and neighbors. We do not vote alone. We vote in chorus.
The question before us is simple: what kind of Texas do we want to hand forward? Will it be defined by fear and division, or by compassion, fairness, and courage?
Voting is more than a duty. It is hope in action. It is the quiet but powerful belief that the future belongs not to the few, but to all of us. On November 4, we get to decide what that future looks like. Show up. Speak out. Vote like Texas depends on it—because it does.