🗳 Early voting has started in the election on State Constitutional Amendments, but if you're still unsure about the propositions, these are our recommendations. (Write these down or print on paper; the Election Code prohibits using phones in polling locations!). For info on where to vote in your county, visit https://www.vote411.org/plan-your-vote

Click that "Read more" link to see why.

Prop 1 -"Funding State Tech College"

For ✅  - Technical colleges should be free.  This doesn't do that, but it's progress in that direction.

Prop 2 - "Ban on Capital Gains Taxes"

Against ❌ - Disproportionately benefits the wealthy at the cost of public school funding.  Underfunding public schools leads to lower quality education, shutdowns, & increased enrollment in charter schools, which further benefits the wealthy.

Prop 3 - "Tightening Bail Rules"

Against ❌ - The legal system is very flawed and racist & classist. There are innocent people who are swept up all the time. There is already a substantial risk of an innocent person being unjustly persecuted. We think this amendment could make things worse. Judges already have a significant discretion to deny bail to certain defendants. Prop 3 implies that simply because the defendant is accused of a serious felony that they must be denied bail even though our constitution states the accused are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. The Supreme Court has ruled that denying bail is a serious curtailment of personal liberty. There are so many cases of miscarriages of justice in our legal system already, and this could continue a dangerous pattern of the government bulldozing people's rights. The state wants to deny bail to those accused of serious crimes now but in the future it could be for other less serious crimes. It's a slippery slope. 

Prop 4 - "Water Supply Funding"

For ✅ - There's a lot of outdated & faulty infrastructure that wastes a shocking amount of water & our demand for potable water will only rise with time.  This is long overdue.
Further reading: https://texaswaterfund.com/

Prop 5 - "Animal Feed Tax Exemption"

Against ❌ - There's no guarantee that this would benefit smaller farmers & it encourages the exploitation of animals.

Prop 6 - "Ban on Securities Transaction Taxes"

Against ❌ - This benefits the wealthy by withholding funds from local needs.

Prop 7 - "Tax Exemption for Military Spouses"

Against ❌ - We need tax relief for the bottom 80% & higher taxes on the wealthy, not special tax carve outs for sympathetic groups.

Prop 8 - "Ban on 'Death Taxes'"

Against ❌ - Texas does not have an inheritance tax but this amendment would ban the legislature from enacting one in the future. So this proposition just ensures that more money hoarded by the exploiter class is passed to people who didn't work for it. We should be taxing the ultra wealthy in order to fund needed services such as schools. 

Prop 9 - "Business Tax Exemption"

Against ❌ - Reaganomics has never worked. This amendment would give tax breaks that would benefit big businesses the most and would result in the state nearly $200 million in revenue according to estimates by the Legislative Budget Board. Very few (if any) of these funds will "trickle down" to the community and would further imperil needed funding for school districts.

Prop 10 - "Tax Exemption for Rebuilding Homes Destroyed by Fire"

For ✅ - Climate disasters such as wild fires will become more frequent, and this amendment would provide needed relief to Texans who lose everything.

Prop 11 - "Increase Property Tax Exemption for Homeowners who are Elderly or Disabled"

Neutral ⊝ - Exemptions should be allocated by need.  Many Texans of a certain vintage have limited incomes, but many others are rich in more than just years.  Same goes for those experiencing disability. This amendment could help some folks who are homeowners but it leaves out renters. We support housing assistance for those who need help, but this amendment doesn't do that.

Prop 12 -"Judicial Oversight Commission Appointed by Governor and Supreme Court"

Against ❌ - One of our key values is decentralization; this amendment would give the governor too much power.

Prop 13 - "Increasing Homestead Exemption"

Against ❌ - The increase is too large & a lot of these exemptions are about reducing property tax funding for schools. Greens advocate for community-based economics and support robust, comprehensive solutions to housing that protects homeowners from rising costs but also helps renters and those who are experiencing housing insecurity.

Prop 14 - "State Dementia Research Institute"

Neutral ⊝ - Mixed. Dementia research could have huge benefits for society. Innovation would boost the state's image and the funding could attract some of the brightest minds around to work on a pressing need for dementia treatments as our state faces the challenges of an aging population. But... given the continued attacks on academic freedom by the Governor Abbott and Lt. Governor Patrick, many researchers might pass on this funding. In addition, pre-funded mandates like this one could hamstring the state budget and remove the elected legislature’s ability to set priorities in the future.  It also isn’t clear how much public oversight this fund would have. The board that would be set up to approve research proposals would be controlled by the governor and other state leaders. Honestly, they have a track record of appointing political cronies to these positions.

Prop 15 - "Parental Rights"

Against ❌ - The language is very broad & ambiguous. Parental rights are already protected in other parts of the law. It is concerning because it would seem to leave little to no room for protecting the rights of children or allow them to have any agency over their own lives. This language being enshrined in the state constitution could be used to justify abusive or negligent behaviors.

Further reading: https://www.youthrights.org/vote-no-on-texas-proposition-15-parental-rights-amendment-heres-how-it-would-harm-youth/

Prop 16 - "Requiring Citizenship to Vote”

Against ❌ - This is already the law. This proposition only contributes to an increase in racism, xenophobia, and stigma towards immigrants, naturalized citizens, and their families, which has had a tragic impact on the lives of many Texans, such as leading to the death of Jocelynn Rojo Carranza who was builled because of her parents' immigration status. This proposition only furthers the oft-repeated falsehoods around unlawful voting by non-citizens. Immigrants regardless of their citizenship status must be treated with dignity and respect, not further attacks.

Prop 17 - "Border Security Tax Exemption"

Against ❌ - This amendment would further incentivize a dangerous trend of border militarization that has already had devastating consequences on border communities. This amendment would exempt from property taxes any property located in border counties arising from the installation of border walls and surveillance technology. This would do nothing to address the concerns of ordinary people and landowners living on the border, many of whom have already had to deal with the federal government seizing their land for the construction of the border wall. In addition, subsection (b) would allow the legislature to prescribe additional eligibility requirements for the exemption meaning that lobbyists who have access to lawmakers would get to control who gets an exemption. We demand an end to border militarization!