With Election Day about a month away, a statewide poll suggests that Texans’ priorities extend beyond candidates and party labels: voters want progress on education, health care costs, housing and household utility bills. The poll, conducted Aug. 22-26 for the nonprofit Texas 2036, surveyed 1,001 registered voters. Baselice & Associates conducted the research, which has an estimated margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points. Education outcomes ranked among voters’ top concerns, including whether students are reading and doing math at grade level and whether people can access college or good careers. Respondents also highlighted health care affordability, housing, electricity bills and access to water, according to Tracy Ayrhart, Texas 2036’s vice president of data and research. The findings point to common ground across party lines on issues that affect daily life, Ayrhart said. She also said respondents opposed leaving current conditions unaddressed, describing inaction as an unpopular position. About 16.7% of those surveyed were classified as unaffiliated or undecided based on their past voting behavior and views of the two parties. That group tended to be younger, more likely to be parents and less likely to own a home, Ayrhart said. Its members shared many of the broader electorate’s concerns, with affordability—particularly health care costs—standing out somewhat more. Concern about Texas’ future reached 67%, the highest level in the 10 waves of issue-focused polling Texas 2036 has conducted since January 2020. Ayrhart said that concern coexists with optimism: many respondents view the state’s economy as strong relative to the nation’s and believe Texas offers opportunities for them. The poll measures voter attitudes on policy issues, not candidate preference or likely election outcomes. Its results offer candidates and policymakers a snapshot of what registered voters say matters as they consider the state’s direction.