The 2026 Texas midterm made history at the top of the ballot. For your tax bill, though, the bigger story is local. At Ownwell, we want to explain the Texas 2026 midterm election results and their impact on property taxes in plain terms.
The short version is that the election changed who runs the state and which local tax and bond measures lived or died. It did not change statewide property-tax law.
Headlines about a "blue wave" and voters "rejecting tax increases" can blur together. One is about who won office. The other is about the local measures that actually set your rates.
Below, we walk through the statewide pattern, the metro-by-metro results, what the incoming government might do, and what you control right now.
TL;DR Takeaways
No statewide property-tax law changed on the ballot, and the 2025 homestead exemptions still apply for the 2026 tax year.
Texas voters rejected most local property-tax rate (VATRE) and bond measures statewide.
Dallas County's 2.4-cent rate increase failed, so the county must use its voter-approval rate of $0.224650 per $100.
Gina Hinojosa won the governorship, and Democrats took the House, but their property-tax ideas are proposals for the 2027 session.
You control your bill right now by protesting your assessment and claiming your exemptions.
What the 2026 Election Changed, and What It Didn't
The November 3, 2026 Texas midterm did not change statewide property-tax exemptions, rates, or deadlines. State law sets those, and no statewide property-tax amendment was on the ballot this cycle. Your 2026 exemptions, protest rights, and filing deadlines are exactly what they were before Election Day.
What the election did change was control of state government. The official results confirm that Hinojosa defeated Abbott. Democrats also took the Texas House for the first time in decades, Republicans held the Senate, and the same ballot decided dozens of local measures.
It helps to know who controls each piece of your bill. We explain how Texas property taxes work in detail. In short, the state sets exemptions and the protest window, county appraisal districts set your property's value, and local taxing units set the rates.
Those local units include school districts, cities, counties, and special districts. The state does not set a single property tax rate, so a partisan shift alone does not move your bill.
This is why "who won" and "what you owe" are different questions. A new governor can propose changes, but your 2026 bill still runs through your appraisal district's value and your local units' rates. That structure did not change on Election Day.
The last statewide changes came from the November 2025 ballot. Per the Texas Comptroller's exemption guidance, it raised the general homestead exemption from $100,000 to $140,000 and added $60,000 for owners who are 65 or older or disabled ($10,000 previously). Those amounts are enacted law for 2026 and did not change this November.
For the full picture, see our explainer on the 2025 property tax relief measures.
How Much Are You Over Paying?
Property Tax Fatigue Appeared Nearly Statewide and Across Party Lines
Across Texas, voters rejected a large majority of local bonds and rate increases. As The Texan reported, Texas voters rejected local tax increases and bonds proposed by their local governments.
Texans for Fiscal Responsibility reported that voters rejected the large majority of the local bonds and tax-rate elections it tracked. Those results are an advocacy group's tally and remain unofficial until counties canvass them.
It's also important to note that if a taxing unit adopts a tax rate above its voter-approval tax rate (VATRE), it generally must hold an automatic election on the next uniform election date. If voters reject the increase, the unit cannot adopt a rate above its voter-approval rate. New bond debt is approved separately, through a bond election.
There is an important nuance. Voters rejected VATRE increases and some school bonds, even in counties that shifted Democratic, including a "blue shockwave" in Tarrant County. Economist Vance Ginn called the pattern "property tax fatigue," not a partisan tax mandate.
In practice, that means voters split their ballots. Many backed Democratic candidates at the top of the ticket while still voting down the rate increases and bond packages on the same page. The result cuts across party lines.
One clarification matters most for your bill. These rejected measures hold down the local rate portion of your taxes and do not affect state exemption law. Your exemptions and protest rights are unchanged either way.
What Texas Voters Decided Locally, Metro by Metro
Results differed by district. Most measures failed, but a few passed, and all of these outcomes are unofficial until counties finish canvassing. What actually lands on your bill depends on the specific districts you live in, so check your own city, county, and school district.
Dallas-Fort Worth
In Dallas County, voters turned down a 2.4-cent rate increase by about 3.7 points, roughly 48% for and 52% against. When Dallas County voters rejected the increase, they set the rate the county can use. The county must use the lower voter-approval tax rate of $0.224650 per $100 instead of the proposed $0.248650.
Here is what that difference would have meant on a $300,000 taxable-value home:
Dallas County (rejected) | Proposed rate | Voter-approval rate |
|---|---|---|
Rate per $100 | $0.248650 | $0.224650 |
Taxable value | $300,000 | $300,000 |
Annual county tax | $745.95 | $673.95 |
Difference per year | +$72.00 | baseline |
The increase would have added about $72 a year to this home, and voters rejected it. Keep in mind this covers only the county line of Dallas County residents' bill. Their city and school district rates are set separately, so their total could still rise or fall depending on those units.
Other DFW results followed the same trend.
The City of Dallas's $443 million public-safety bond failed by 13 points.
Voters rejected Irving ISD's $952.4 million bond.
Mesquite ISD's VATRE failed by 15 points.
Not everything failed. University Park approved a rate increase, reminding us that outcomes varied even within the metro.
Tarrant County
In Tarrant County, all four Keller ISD bonds failed, according to The Texan, a package that totaled $828 million. Eagle Mountain-Saginaw ISD's VATRE failed by 33 points. North Richland Hills approved three of four bonds but turned down a $10 million library bond.
What stands out here is the mix of signals. This wave of rejections came even as Tarrant County shifted Democratic, which supports the "property tax fatigue" read rather than a partisan tax verdict.
Greater Houston and Harris County
In the Houston area, Harris County voters rejected every school bond and VATRE on the ballot, according to unofficial results. Cypress-Fairbanks ISD's VATRE drew just 32.5% support, and its $1.6 billion bond failed. Measures in Channelview, Crosby, Spring, Huffman, and La Porte ISDs also failed.
For context, Harris County commissioners separately adopted a historic rate increase earlier in 2026. That is a reminder that local bodies, not the state, move these rates, and different units can move in different directions in the same year.
So one rejected VATRE does not guarantee a lower total bill. Your final number blends the county, city, school, and special-district rates that apply to your address. For current local figures, see our Texas property tax rate trends.
Collin County
In Collin County, Plano voters rejected a venue-tax package by about 9 points. That measure would have helped fund a Dallas Stars arena, and it was a venue tax, not a property tax. A venue tax is tied to specific sales and local sources, so its defeat does not change your home's tax rate.
The property-tax measures in the county also failed. Collin College's $600 million bond was rejected by about 5 points. McKinney ISD's VATRE and roughly $500 million in bonds were also rejected, according to unofficial results.
Central Texas and San Antonio
In Central Texas, VATREs failed in Bastrop, Del Valle, Georgetown, Leander, and Round Rock ISDs. Around San Antonio, voters rejected school tax increases in East Central, Northside, San Antonio, and South San Antonio ISDs.
Not everything failed, though. Schertz-Cibolo-Universal City ISD and Seguin ISD narrowly passed their measures, according to unofficial results.
That split is why you should look up your own districts rather than assume the statewide trend applies where you live.
What the New Government Could Do Next (Proposals, Not Law)
Governor-elect Gina Hinojosa campaigned on affordability. She has proposed the governor-elect's property tax plan, which would end corporate subsidies and use the savings to cut property taxes. Her stated end goal is eliminating residential property taxes.
The plan also pairs with a one-time $1,500 household refund. This is a campaign proposal, not law. Any change would have to pass the 2027 Legislature, which is divided.
The 90th Legislature convenes in January 2027 with a Democratic House and governor and a Republican Senate. Bill filing for the 2027 session began in November 2026, and Republican lawmakers filed bills aimed at eliminating property taxes. Democrats have filed their own proposals, including renter relief.
It's also worth noting that not every statewide winner touches your tax bill. The incoming agriculture and railroad commissioners won office, but their offices do not set property-tax policy.
That means those offices will not change what you owe. Former Governor Abbott's earlier appraisal-cap plan is also moot now that he has lost.
The takeaway is simple. None of these proposals changes your 2026 or 2027 bill today. Eliminating or deeply cutting property taxes would require new legislation and a way to replace the revenue.
We will track the session and update our guidance if a proposal becomes law. Until then, treat the headlines as a preview, not a rebate. Your exemptions, protest rights, and deadlines stay the same, and they are the parts you can act on now.
Key Dates to Watch
Date | What Happens |
|---|---|
Late November 2026 | County canvasses finalize the local results above. |
January 2027 | The new governor is inaugurated, and the 90th Legislature convenes. |
Around April 2027 | Appraisal districts mail your notice of appraised value. |
April 30, 2027 | The residence homestead exemption filing deadline. |
May 15, 2027 | The property tax protest deadline, or 30 days after your notice, whichever is later, under . |
August 7, 2027 | Taxing entities must report the November 2026 bond and VATRE outcomes. |
Why the Election Won't Lower Your Bill by Itself
Even with statewide relief, most Texas homeowners overpay simply by not protesting. In our Texas protest vs. non-protest data, only 32% of the residential properties we studied protested in 2025. Texas owners left roughly $1.2 billion in property tax savings unclaimed in 2025 alone.
Relief can also be offset locally. Our analysis of rising total Texas homeownership costs found that 19 of 25 Texas cities saw inflation-adjusted property tax decreases from 2019 to 2024. Yet total homeownership costs still rose, so the local line items are where your bill actually moves.
Awareness is part of the problem. In our national homeowner survey, 74% of homeowners have never appealed their property tax bill. Of those, 57% didn't know they had the right to.
The lever you control is your own assessment and your exemptions. No election result claims those savings for you. No proposal in Austin files your protest before the deadline.
Protesting your appraised value and confirming every exemption you qualify for are steps you can take this year. They work whether or not any new relief passes, and they target the value your county set on your home.
Want to Try What Made Ownwell Famous?
How Ownwell Can Help
At Ownwell, we handle the Texas property tax protest and exemption process end to end, on contingency. Our Texas fee is 25% of what we save you, with no upfront cost. If we don't save you money, you don't pay.
Our results back that up: an 88% success rate and $774 in average annual savings for our customers. We also hold a 4.7 rating across more than 3,000 Google reviews. Our local experts and software review the evidence, file the paperwork, and represent you.
No matter who holds office, you can act now. The election decided who sets policy next, but it did not file your protest or claim your exemptions. Learn how to protest your Texas assessment step by step, and make sure you file your Texas homestead exemptions before the deadline.
Frequently Asked Questions
Did the Texas 2026 midterm election raise my property taxes?
No. No statewide property-tax law changed, and voters rejected most local rate and bond measures across the state.
What happened to Dallas County's property tax measure?
Voters rejected it. According to unofficial results, the county must use its voter-approval rate of $0.224650 per $100 instead of the proposed higher rate.
Will Governor-elect Hinojosa eliminate property taxes?
Not today. Eliminating residential property taxes is a goal she campaigned on, and it would require action by the 2027 Legislature, not any current law.
Did any Texas tax or bond measures pass in 2026?
Yes, a few. Schertz-Cibolo-Universal City ISD and Seguin ISD narrowly passed, and some cities like University Park approved rate increases, per unofficial results.
When is the Texas property tax protest deadline?
The deadline is May 15, or 30 days after your appraisal district delivers your notice of appraised value, whichever is later.
