What happened: Texas voters approved all 17 constitutional amendments on the Nov. 4 ballot, with Midland County voters generally supporting the proposals by even larger margins than the statewide average. Midland voters generally align with statewide conservative policy direction but tend to favor lower taxes, stronger property rights, and more assertive security policies than the Texas electorate overall.

Proposition 1 — Capital funding for Texas State Technical College System

Statewide: 69.0% For — Midland County: 65.3% For

  • Proposition 1 was one of only two propositions where Midland voters diverged slightly to the negative. This is likely because the proposition involved a state-created fund, reflecting a likely skepticism toward state-managed funding programs perceived as permanent growth in government spending.
  • All four major conservative policy groups we previously mentioned opposed Proposition 1, arguing that creating a dedicated funding stream for TSTC’s capital needs reduces legislative oversight and commits the state to ongoing spending without periodic review.

Proposition 2 — Ban on taxes on realized or unrealized capital gains

Statewide: 65.4% For — Midland County: 84.9% For

  • Proposition 2 saw Midland voters showing support nearly 20 percentage points higher than the state. These measures align closely with Midland’s investment-oriented economy and the electorate’s preference for limited taxation. Conservative groups strongly supported this measure, saying it prevents a future workaround to impose an income tax through capital gains taxation and preserves Texas’s low-tax business climate.

Proposition 3 — Authority to deny bail in certain felony cases

Statewide: 61.1% For — Midland County: 72.8% For

  • Midland voters showed stronger support for stricter detention powers, while conservative groups split on the proposal. Supporters argued it improves public safety by preventing repeat violent offenses pretrial, while opponents warned it could expand pretrial detention, increase taxpayer costs, and undermine the presumption of innocence.

Proposition 4 — Dedicate a portion of sales and use tax revenue to the Texas Water Fund

Statewide: 70.4% For — Midland County: 72.6% For

  • Midland aligned closely with statewide results, whereas conservative groups opposed this amendment, saying that while water infrastructure needs attention, the amendment creates a permanent revenue carve-out without safeguards to ensure efficient spending.

Proposition 5 — Property tax exemption for animal feed inventory

Statewide: 63.6% For — Midland County: 77.9% For

  • Midland supported this much more, likely consistent with regional agricultural and ranching interests. All conservative groups supported this measure, citing reduced cost burdens on feed sellers and ranchers and the elimination of an appraisal issue that disproportionately raised taxes when inventories were highest.

Proposition 6 — Ban on securities transactions and occupation taxes

Statewide: 54.9% For — Midland County: 74.8% For

  • Midland support was nearly 20 points higher than the state as a whole. This measure aligns with Midland’s investment-oriented economy and the electorate’s preference for limited taxation. All conservative groups supported this measure, saying the amendment protects the investment economy and helps ensure the new Texas Stock Exchange remains competitive.

Proposition 7 — Property tax exemption for surviving spouses of veterans who died due to service

Statewide: 86.3% For — Midland County: 88.9% For

  • This proposition had the third-highest support from Midland voters and the second-highest support from statewide voters. However, conservative groups offered mixed positions. Support centered on fairness for military families, while concerns focused on the continued expansion of exemptions and on shifting tax burdens onto other taxpayers.

Proposition 8 — Prohibit estate and inheritance taxes

Statewide: 72.2% For — Midland County: 88.8% For

  • Midland support was substantially higher by nearly 17 percentage points. This touched on low taxation and personal property protection, which consistently polls strongly among local voters. All conservative groups supported, arguing this prevents “taxing assets twice” and provides predictability for family estate planning.

Proposition 9 — Raise business personal property tax exemption

Statewide: 65.0% For — Midland County: 79.7% For

  • Similarly to Proposition 8, Midland voters generally favor low taxation and personal property protection. Proposition 9 showed Midlanders strongly favoring relief for small businesses. All conservative groups supported the change, framing it as tax relief that encourages reinvestment and reduces appraisal and compliance costs for small business owners.

Proposition 10 — Temporary property tax exemption for homes destroyed by fire

Statewide: 89.3% For — Midland County: 92.6% For

  • This proposition had the highest support from Midland and statewide voters. All conservative groups supported this measure and framed it as a fairness correction that stops homeowners from paying taxes on destroyed property.

Proposition 11 — Increase homestead exemption for elderly and disabled Texans

Statewide: 77.7% For — Midland County: 79.8% For

  • Support from Midland voters trended slightly higher than statewide. Most conservative groups opposed, arguing existing exemptions already reduce senior tax burdens and warning that this expansion could impact school funding stability.

Proposition 12 — Reform the State Commission on Judicial Conduct

Statewide: 61.9% For — Midland County: 80.5% For

  • Midland voters were nearly 19 percentage points more supportive of judicial accountability measures than statewide voters. Midland typically places a high priority on public safety and institutional oversight. Most conservative groups supported, emphasizing transparency and public trust in judicial oversight.

Proposition 13 — Raise general homestead exemption from $100,000 to $140,000

Statewide: 79.4% For — Midland County: 85.7% For

  • Similar to other propositions above, Proposition 13 indicates that Midlanders generally favor more substantial tax relief. Statewide conservative groups also typically supported this measure but noted concerns about dependence on temporary state surpluses to cover lost school district revenue.

Proposition 14 — Create the Dementia Prevention and Research Institute of Texas

Statewide: 68.6% For — Midland County: 65.4% For

  • Proposition 14 was the second of the two propositions where Midland voters were more skeptical than statewide voters. This measure involved a state-created fund, reflecting a consistent skepticism toward state-managed funding programs perceived as permanent growth in government spending.
  • All conservative groups opposed this proposition, citing concerns about creating a new state bureaucracy with limited oversight and potential for wasteful spending.

Proposition 15 — Parental rights in education and medical decisions

Statewide: 69.9% For — Midland County: 87.5% For

  • Midland support was nearly 18 percentage points higher, indicating that parental decision-making as a foundational value carries deeper weight locally. The majority of conservative groups supported it, saying that constitutional clarity strengthens families’ legal standing.

Proposition 16 — Require voters to be U.S. citizens

Statewide: 72.0% For — Midland County: 90.4% For

  • This proposition had the second-highest support from Midland, while it was not in the top five most supported measures statewide. This disparity indicates that election integrity is a higher-salience issue in Midland than it is statewide. All conservative groups supported this measure, calling it a safeguard for election integrity.

Proposition 17 — Property tax exemption for border security infrastructure

Statewide: 57.4% For — Midland County: 79.9% For

  • This proposition saw the most significant difference, over 22 percentage points, between Midland and statewide voters. The result shows that while border security remains a highly important issue in West Texas, Midland voters also emphasized that landowners should not face higher taxes for securing and protecting their own property.
  • All conservative groups supported this measure, citing voluntary cooperation with border security efforts and fairness in preventing increased taxes due to those improvements.