Early voting begins Oct. 19 in Texas elections where Dallas County and at least eight school districts are asking voters to approve tax rates higher than state law lets them set on their own. If voters say no on Nov. 3, each government falls back to its “voter-approval rate,” the highest rate the state allows without an election. If they say yes, homeowners pay more and the governments keep the money.
The stakes differ by place, but the choice is the same. Dallas County wants more money for homelessness programs. Several school districts say they need it to cover operating costs, and some are also asking for bonds, which are borrowed money repaid through a separate part of the tax bill.
Dallas County Commissioners Court called its election on Aug. 11 in Court Order 2026-0879. The order sets a rate of $0.248650 per $100 of property value, up from $0.215500 last year. That is 2.4 cents above the voter-approval rate. The order says the money would fund programs to reduce homelessness and clear encampments, widen access to mental health treatment, and support stable housing. The county’s election fact sheet says the extra 2.4 cents would raise an estimated $102.9 million. On the county’s median homestead taxable value of $268,056, the extra 2.4 cents works out to about $64 a year, by The Texas Dispatch’s calculation; the county puts the full county tax on that home at $666.52.
The order contains one internal inconsistency. One clause lists the voter-approval rate as $0.224650. Another lists it as $0.226450. The county’s own fact sheet and the arithmetic (the proposed rate minus 2.4 cents) both point to $0.224650.
School districts are asking for smaller sums, mostly in the form of extra cents on the part of the rate that pays for day-to-day operations. Many say the benefit shrinks because of recapture, the state system that takes part of the money property-rich districts raise and sends it elsewhere.
Leander ISD, in Williamson and Travis counties, asks voters to add 3 cents. The district says that would bring in about $6.7 million after recapture. “We’ve cut costs. We’ve made hard decisions. And we’re still facing a financial challenge,” Board President Anna Smith said.
Round Rock ISD asks for 6 cents, which would put its total rate at $0.9484. The district says the increase would raise about $30 million, roughly half of it lost to recapture, leaving about $15 million for pay raises, according to the district. Cy-Fair ISD near Houston asks for 12 cents, which it says would bring $83.4 million in local revenue and unlock $20.2 million in state-guaranteed funding. The district says it faces $94 million in cuts over three years, and it has put four bond propositions on the same ballot, according to the board’s election notice.
In the San Antonio area, Texas Public Radio’s Aug. 19 roundup, which relied on draft ballot language, lists more. Northside ISD asks for 3 cents plus $886.2 million in bonds. San Antonio ISD asks for 3.17 cents plus $600 million in bonds. South San Antonio ISD, run by a state-appointed board of managers, would ratify a $1.1970 rate. East Central ISD would shift pennies between operations and debt, raising operating revenue by about $8.5 million. Schertz-Cibolo-Universal City ISD asks for 12 cents, about $15 million a year. Voters in that district rejected a smaller request in November 2025. The Northside figures do not agree: the radio report cites $46 million in new revenue, while the draft ballot language says about $21.5 million.
Supporters of the requests, including the districts, say a no vote means cuts. Voters who oppose them can point to the same record: if a request fails, the rate simply stays at the level state law already allows, and some of these districts have asked and been refused before. The elections will settle both arguments.
Voters can cast ballots early from Oct. 19 through Oct. 30 or on Election Day, Nov. 3. Last month’s Corpus Christi tax-rate vote showed that even a rate left unchanged can fail on the first try.