See what issues Texas voters agree on

Going into midterm elections, our new Texas Voter Poll shows voters across party lines support a roadmap for future state action in fundamental areas including education, workforce, health care and public safety

Texas voters are increasingly concerned about the state’s future, but their support for solutions on core-governance issues offers leaders a roadmap for strengthening voter confidence and moving Texas forward.

That’s the far-reaching conclusion of Texas 2036’s fifth Texas Voter Poll, which the nonpartisan policy organization released Thursday.

In the survey, 93% of Texas voters expressed some level of concern about the state’s future — with 38% “extremely concerned,” 29% “very concerned” and 26% “somewhat concerned.” At this time last year, 25% of voters said they were “extremely concerned” about the future of our state. Today, that number has risen to 38%. These concerns about our future are shared across political parties, with Republicans (96%), Independents (88%) and Democrats (93%) expressing concern.

But Texas voters also broadly support bold actions and sensible investments across an array of critical policy areas, including education and workforce development, infrastructure, public safety, and health care affordability. This widespread support offers a direct pathway for state leaders to strengthen voter confidence when the Texas Legislature convenes in about three months.

“When seven out of 10 Texas voters tell us that they are exceedingly concerned about the state’s future, they are sending a clear message that we need to direct our focus on the policies that matter most to their lives and livelihoods,” Texas 2036 President and CEO Margaret Spellings said.

Across party lines, there is clear civic demand for state action on crucial issues. This poll presents a clear roadmap for addressing the priorities we all share — a roadmap to a bright future for all Texans.”

Fortunately, Texas has resources necessary to take action.

Earlier this year, the Texas Comptroller estimated that the state will have a $27 billion general revenue surplus for the current biennium. How the state invests those funds will be a critical decision in next year’s Legislative session — and a defining, generational opportunity for Texas policymakers.

When asked how they want that record surplus to be spent, Texas voters identified public education as the top priority, followed by the electric grid, property tax reduction, and water infrastructure.

“This poll offers a vital perspective on what really matters to Texans as we approach the state’s historic budget surplus,” said A.J. Rodriguez, executive vice president of Texas 2036.

Leaders on all sides have an opportunity to come together and address the challenges voters see — and pursue widely supported solutions — in ways that help Texans in every part of this great state.”

Key findings in the Texas Voter Poll include:

• 87% of Texas voters support the use of annual reading and math tests to provide “apples-to-apples comparisons” of how local schools are performing relative to others in the state.
• Nearly 90% of Texas voters believe it is important for the state to focus on increasing the number of post-secondary credentials while students are still in high school to ensure they graduate college- and career-ready.
• While 68% of Texas voters said they trust their local law enforcement, 83% say it would increase their confidence in law enforcement if lawmakers made it harder to rehire law enforcement officers who were previously fired for poor conduct. 57% said it would increase their confidence “a lot.”
• 82% of Texas voters agreed that the state should increase investments to expand our water supplies and 84% supported the Texas Legislature creating a fund to help update the aging infrastructure.
• By a 2-to-1 margin, Texas voters support increasing pay to attract talent for all state government positions.

“The latest Texas Voter Poll shows that while Texans remain fiercely independent in their thinking, they are united around solutions that address the issues that will most impact our future,” Texas 2036’s Senior Vice President of Policy and Advocacy John Hryhorchuk said.

Texas voters strongly support common-sense actions and sustainable investments to improve water infrastructure, workforce, education, and public safety, leaving future generations a legacy of good governance and opportunity for success.”

The survey, conducted by Baselice & Associates, Inc. polled 1,000 registered Texas voters from Sept. 6–11. It has a margin of error of ± 3.1 percentage points. The interviews were conducted via phone (49%), SMS (17%), and online (34%).

To view the complete poll results, and drill down into the data, please visit www.texas2036.org/poll.