Brutal New Polling For Vouchers In Texas
Ahead of the first public hearing on an expansive voucher bill comes new polling showing how most Texans oppose school choice legislation
On Tuesday, the Texas House Committee on Public Education will hold the first public hearing on House Bill 3, an expansive voucher bill that would allow any Texas family to use taxpayer dollars for private schools via an education savings account. Several organizations will be hosting a press conference urging lawmakers to vote against the legislation including the Texas American Federation of Teachers (AFT), Just Texas, and Equality Texas.
Now a new poll shows how deeply unpopular vouchers are among most Texans. The poll from Z to A research concluded that nearly two-thirds of Texans oppose vouchers. The full polling data shows that 65 percent of Texans oppose voucher legislation. The breakdown of opposition includes 95 percent of Democrats, 72 percent of Independents and 42 percent of Republicans.
In statement about the polling results the president of Texas AFT Zeph Capo noted the broad unpopularity of vouchers. “It doesn’t matter how you dress it up: you can put lipstick on the pig, but it won’t change the smell of the sty,” said Capo.
Texas is the largest state without school choice legislation. Last year several pro-voucher advocates poured millions into campaign contributions for both Governor Abbott and Lt. Governor Patrick. One of those big backers was Pennsylvania billionaire Jeff Yass, who cut the largest ever single donation in Texas history to Abbott in 2024 with $6 million. Four Democratic state representatives have requested Yass to testify before the Committee on Public Education.
“Given your significant role in funding efforts to reshape Texas’ public education system, we believe it is only appropriate that you explain your position directly to the people whose schools and communities your money seeks to impact with school closures, program cuts, and teacher layoffs,” they wrote.
