We're getting a better look what the top priorities are for Texas voters from a snapshot from the Texas Politics Project at the University of Texas at Austin. The results explain many of Governor Greg Abbott's emergency items to the legislature and explain why he's holding events around the state trying to build support for one more controversial item.
Every few months, the pollsters ask Texans what they believe are the most urgent items lawmakers should be working on. They asked registered voters polled to tell them from a list of 15 subjects what was "extremely" or "very" important to them.
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WATCH HEREThe top four were: 84% said improving the reliability of the state's energy grid, 81% said lowering the costs of everyday goods and services, 81% said improving the reliability of the state's water supply, and 76% said reducing property taxes.
Governor Abbott named seven emergency items earlier this year and updating the state's energy grid, improving the state's water supply, and reducing property taxes were among them. Those three issues are also top issues for the leaders of the Texas House, Speaker Dustin Burrows, R - Lubbock, and the Texas Senate, Lt. Governor Dan Patrick.
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SIGN UP The three towards the bottom were topics one party or the other general cares about or is a new niche issue.
44% of registered Texas voters told the pollsters that expanding access to abortion was extremely or very important. Texas has banned nearly all abortions in the state and the Republican-controlled legislature has little appetite to loosen restrictions. Clarifying the law so doctors aren't worried about getting arrested and charged if they perform a legal abortion is the rare exception of some effort in the capitol this year.
39% said a school choice voucher program - allowing families to use public school dollars on private and home schools - were extremely or very important to them. This item is sure to get attention because it's Governor Abbott's top priority in session this year. Two years ago, a bipartisan group in the Texas House rejected a similar proposal. Since then, Governor Abbott's campaigned and ousted members of his own party on the issue and continues to hold campaign-style events across the state to keep the pressure on lawmakers.
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The poll showed that the majority of Republicans think school choice vouchers are important, few have it towards the very top of their list though. That signals to Jim Henson of the Texas Politics Project At UT Austin why Abbott is trying to keep the topic top of mind through events and why school choice advocates, businesses, and interest groups have spent millions of dollars trying to get the item over the finish line.
“We know that this is how politics works on issues that are not front and center for the public. Political leaders, elites, spend public facing time and resources attempting to shape the opinion of people that don’t have strongly held opinions on this," Henson told NBC 5.
Thursday night, Gov. Abbott held a rally in Fort Worth at Temple Christian Academy billed as a parent empowerment night with local lawmakers and school choice advocates to talk about "why we MUST expand school choice in Texas."
"This session, Texas will pass school choice so students can thrive," Gov. Abbott wrote online before the event.
In response, Rep. James Talarico, D - Austin, weighed into the debate and pointed to the possibility of Fort Worth ISD closing 25 schools, blaming lack of state funding for some of their troubles.
“Greg Abbott’s voucher scam would continue to drain taxpayer dollars from our underfunded public schools and give those dollars to unaccountable private schools like Temple Christian School," said Rep. Talarico.
Towards the bottom of the list, only 34% of Texans polled by UT-Austin believe limiting the sale of cannabis products was extremely or very important. This is a new item from Lt. Governor Dan Patrick, leader of the Texas Senate. Recently the laws have been under scrutiny after retail stores used a hemp law to drastically expand in Texas.
Lawmakers are in their legislative session until the first days of June.
