Texas Politics: Parties, Elections, and Voter Behavior

The point of political parties is to

win elections

Political Parties provide cues for voters to

understand candidate's views

Parties provide several things to help candidates:

training, funding, and campaign advice

partisan polarization

Parties are becoming farther apart

political socialization

the process by which people gain their political attitudes and opinions

How we associate with a party

The main contributor is the family

History of one-party dominance in Texas

After the Civil War, Texas entered an era of one-party rule that lasted over a century.

•The real election was the Democratic primary.

•Republicans frequently did not run any candidate at all for many offices.

•Many counties had no Republican Party at all.

By about the mid-1940s, a split between liberal and conservative Democrats developed in response to New Deal and civil rights policies.

How demographic groups align relative to parties

Where they live

White = republican

Black = democratic

Urban = democratic

rural= republican

suburban= republican

Party organization

Precinct, County, State, National

Party membership in TX

Don't have to sign up

Just identify as a member

Open primary state

Do not need to register for a party

Most local elections are nonpartisan

Will not have party labels

County + state are partisan

3rd parties don't do well in TX

Due to single-member districts + majority vote to win

Proportional representation

Each party gets representation equal to the percentage of votes

Where does Texas fall

Conservative

Primary

Election to determine a party's representative in a general election

General elections

regularly scheduled elections at which voters make the final selection of officeholders. First Tuesday after the first Monday of November

Special elections

Constitutional amendments

19th amendment

Gave women the right to vote

poll tax

A requirement that citizens pay a tax in order to register to vote

Voters ' Rights Act of 1965

landmark piece of federal legislation that prohibits racial discrimination in voting. Designed to enforce the voting rights guaranteed by the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments, the law significantly widened the franchise for African Americans and other minority groups, especially in the South.

Motor Voter Act of 1993

Tried to increase voter turnout by allowing voter registration at same time as getting or renewing driver's license. Increased the registration rate, but not the voter turnout rate (people still apathetic or not motivated to vote)

Reapportionment

how many seats each state gets.

Redistricting

how those seats are divided within the state.

The state legislature is in charge of

redistricting

Candidates are the most important

in campaigns

Social media ads are most__________ when campaigning

expensive

Legal standard to be qualified to vote

•18 years of age

•A U.S. citizen

•A resident of Texas for 30 days

•A resident of the county for 30 days

What do independent Candidates have to do to get on the ballot

How many signatures are needed? What is the standard?

In Texas, independent candidates must first file a declaration of intent and then submit a petition with voter signatures to get on the ballot. The number of signatures required equals 1% of the total votes cast for governor in the last election for statewide offices, or the lesser of 500 or 5% of that vote for district or local offices. Only registered voters who did not vote in a party primary or runoff can sign the petition.

Voter turnout in TX

In Texas, Republican voters typically turn out in higher numbers than Democrats, especially in primary elections. White non-Hispanic voters have the highest turnout rate, followed by Black, Asian, and then Hispanic voters. The highest voter participation occurs during presidential general elections, while midterms and local elections have much lower turnout.