Voter Guide: SISD, Tornillo ISD tax rates, state propositions on Nov. 4, 2025, election ballot
by El Paso Matters Staff, El Paso Matters
October 5, 2025
On Tuesday, Nov. 4, El Paso County voters will cast their ballots in the uniform election that will primarily feature 17 Texas constitutional amendments, or propositions, including property tax cuts for homeowners and businesses.
While the election doesn’t carry many candidate races, voters in some school districts will have their say on taxes and some towns within El Paso County will cast ballots in their town councils.
Voters in the Socorro and Tornillo independent school districts will cast ballots on voter approval tax ratification elections, or VATRE, which ask whether the districts can increase the property tax rate above what’s allowed by law.
The Town of Clint, City of Socorro and Village of Vinton have elections to fill seats on their local councils.
Early voting will run Oct. 20-31 and Election Day is Nov. 4.
Voters can cast their ballot at any voting location during the early voting period; hours vary per location; check sites and times here. On Election Day, polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
KEY DATES
- Monday, Oct. 6: Last day to register to vote
- Monday, Oct. 20: First day of early voting; last day to apply for ballot by mail
- Friday, Oct. 31: Last day of early voting
- Tuesday, Nov. 4: Election Day; last day to receive ballot by mail
WHERE CAN I VIEW MY SAMPLE BALLOT
If you’re a registered voter, you can view your sample ballot at the My Voter Dashboard in the El Paso County Elections website. You just need your full name and date of birth or your voter ID number found on your voter registration card. There, you can view and print your sample ballot before you head to the polls.
WHAT RACES / PROPOSITIONS ARE ON THE BALLOT?
Socorro Independent School District VATRE
Ballot language:
PROPOSITION A: THIS IS A TAX INCREASE
Ratifying the ad valorem tax rate of $1.0589 per $100 valuation in the Socorro Independent School District for the current year, a rate that will result in an increase of 14.91 percent in maintenance and operations tax revenue for the District for the current year as compared to the preceding year, which is an additional $15,080,585.
- For
- Against
What it means:
The voter approved tax ratification election asks voters within SISD whether they approve or oppose a tax rate increase above what’s allowed by law. School district officials say the tax rate could bring the district $49 million a year, which is needed for employee compensation and maintain facilities, among other priorities to keep the district solvent.
Though the proposition is technically a tax increase, homeowners will likely see a decrease in the school portion of their tax bill if Texas voters approve a constitutional amendment to raise the homestead exemption.
If the amendment passes and SISD voters approve the tax rate proposition, homeowners in the district can expect to see the school portion of their property tax bills reduced by about $345 a year on the average home valued at $232,700. If voters reject the tax proposition, SISD school tax bills would save an additional $110.
LEARN MORE: Socorro ISD board calls for ‘VATRE’ tax rate election. Here’s what it means to you
Tornillo Independent School District VATRE
Ballot language:
PROPOSITION A: THIS IS A TAX INCREASE
Ratifying the ad valorem tax rate of $1.207800 per $100 valuation in the Tornillo Independent School District for the current year, a rate that will result in an increase of 29.88 percent in maintenance and operations tax revenue for the District for the current year as compared to the preceding year, which is an additional $237,252.
- For
- Against
What it means:
The voter approved tax ratification election asks voters within Tornillo ISD whether they approve or oppose a tax rate increase above what’s allowed by law.
Though the proposition is technically a tax increase, homeowners will likely see a decrease in the school portion of their tax bill if Texas voters approve a constitutional amendment to raise the homestead exemption.
If the amendment passes and Tornillo ISD voters approve the tax rate proposition, homeowners in the district can expect to see the school portion of their property tax bills wiped out almost completely depending on their property valuations. Taxpayers with average-value homes of $119,220 would pay no school taxes if the state amendment is approved even with the district’s increased tax rate.
Town of Clint
- Alderman, District at-large (vote for none, one, two or three)
- Addam Hernandez
- Albert Duran
- Daniel (Dan) Vallejo
- Rose Hernandez
City of Socorro
- Alderman, District 1
- Cesar Nevarez
- Rene Rodriguez
- Alderman, District 2
- Alejandro Garcia
- Alderman, District 3
- Gina Cordero
Village of Vinton
- Mayor
- Rachel Quintana
- Juvencia Rios Ontiveros
- Samuel "Sam" Monrreal
- Alderman, Place 1
- David Duran
- Dolores Diaz
- Alderman, Place 1
- Leticia Gonzalez
- Perry K. Duby
State of Texas Propositions
A majority of the proposed constitutional amendments are measures meant to lower taxes for various Texans, including homeowners, businesses, elderly and disabled homeowners and spouses of veterans, among others. Here are a few key homestead exemption propositions:
- PropositionT - HJR133: Tax exemption surviving spouse of a veteran
- Proposition 11 - SJR 85: Increase tax exemption for elderly and disabled homeowners
- Proposition 13 - SJR 2: Increase homestead exemption for school district from $100,000 to $140,000
Other proposed amendments would prevent the state from imposing additional taxes on personal or business capital gains and inheritances, among others.
Some proposals would fund water infrastructure, research on dementia treatment and prevention and the Texas State Technical College; while others would amend the constitution to limit when a person can be released on bail and clarify citizenship requirements for Texas voters, among others.
Constitutional amendments are the only ballot propositions Texans get to vote on at the state level and will appear on the top of voters’ ballots, above any local races or measures they may be deciding.
You can find all of the proposed state constitutional amendments on the Texas sample ballot here.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
How do I check if I’m registered to vote?
Check your registration status with the El Paso County Elections Department or the Texas Secretary of State’s Office.
Can I vote by mail?
You can vote by mail in Texas if you are age 65 or older on Election Day; are sick or have a disability; are expected to give birth within three weeks before or after Election Day; or are in jail but still eligible to vote. You can also vote by mail if you will be out of El Paso County on Election Day and during the early voting period.
When is my mail-in ballot due?
The elections department must receive your mail-in ballot by 7 p.m. Election Day (Nov. 4) if the carrier envelope is not postmarked. If the envelope is postmarked by 7 p.m. Election Day, the elections department will accept it through 5 p.m. Nov. 5. Find more information about Mail-In Ballots here. After you send in your mail ballot, you can track it here.
When and where can I vote in person?
You can vote at any of the county’s polling sites during the early voting period; though hours vary by site. You can also vote at any polling site from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Election Day.
What do I need to vote in person?
You’ll need one of seven acceptable forms of photo ID, which include a Texas driver’s license, U.S. passport book or card, or Texas personal ID card.
This article first appeared on El Paso Matters and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
