Chapter 6 Campaigns and elections

Franchise

"The right to vote; also refers to the act of voting"

Primary Election

"The first election in an electoral cycle; determines each party's nominees for the general election"

Runoff Primary

"A second primary election held when no candidate wins an absolute majority in the initial primary"

Open Primary

"A primary in which voters may cast a ballot in either party's primary

Closed Primary

"A primary in which voters must declare their party affiliation in order to participate"

General Election

"An election held in November in which voters select public officials; major Texas officials are elected in nonpresidential years"

Special Election

"An election not held on a regularly scheduled basis; used to fill vacancies

Poll Tax

"A fee required to vote; historically used to disenfranchise poorer voters in Texas and the South"

White Primary

"A Texas law instituted in 1923 that excluded African American voters from Democratic primaries; struck down by Smith v. Allwright (1944)"

Smith v. Allwright (1944)

"U.S. Supreme Court case that declared the White primary unconstitutional

Voting Rights Act of 1965

"Federal law that significantly expanded voting rights; sent federal examiners to southern states to register voters and dramatically increased African American registration in Texas"

Motor Voter Law

"A law that allows citizens to register to vote when applying for or renewing a driver's license"

Early Voting

"A procedure allowing voters to cast ballots during a two-week period before Election Day; introduced in the 1980s to increase participation"

Straight-Ticket Voting

"Voting for all candidates of one party with a single selection; was eliminated in Texas as of 2020"

SB 7 (2021)

"Texas law that restricted voting procedures by banning 24-hour and drive-thru voting

Reapportionment

"The process of determining how many congressional seats each state will receive based on population"

Redistricting

"The process of redrawing legislative district lines in the Texas legislature and U.S. House

Voter Overload

"A decrease in voter turnout caused by the large number of elections and candidates Texans must evaluate"

Texas Voter Turnout

"Texas historically ranks last in the nation in voter participation; factors include low income/education levels

Republican Primary Importance

"Because Republicans dominate Texas statewide elections

Republican Primary Turnout (2022)

"Only approximately 11% of registered voters participated in the 2022 Republican primary

Texas Voter Qualifications

"Must be: 18+ years old

Texas Voter ID Law (2011)

"A voter ID law passed in 2011 that was struck down in 2015; a revised version allowing more forms of ID was enacted in 2016"

Nineteenth Amendment

"Ratified in 1920; gave women the right to vote in all elections"

The Jaybird Party

"A post-White-primary workaround in Texas that attempted to exclude Black voters through a private party; eventually declared unconstitutional"

Independent Candidate Ballot Requirements

"To get on the Texas ballot as an independent

Role of Parties in Texas Campaigns

"Political parties in Texas play a limited role; they provide a label and may recruit candidates

Campaign Spending (2022 Governor)

"Greg Abbott (R) raised $103 million; Beto O'Rourke (D) raised $76 million — Republicans significantly out-raised Democrats across all offices"

Interest Groups in Texas Campaigns

"Interest groups play an increasingly significant role; limited campaign finance regulations allow their influence to grow (e.g.

Biggest Campaign Expense

"Media advertising (TV ads) is the single largest expense in Texas campaigns"

Public Opinion Polling in Campaigns

"Candidates hire pollsters to survey constituents and tailor messages to specific target audiences such as suburban women

Social Media in Texas Campaigns

"Most Texas candidates use Facebook and Twitter/X; social media allows free messaging and helps candidates build both political and personal popularity"

Key Issues in Recent Texas Campaigns

"Gun rights

Latino Voter Turnout

"Latino citizens have a significantly lower voter turnout rate than other racial and ethnic groups in Texas"

African American Registration After VRA

"Before the Voting Rights Act of 1965

Nonpartisan Elections

"Local Texas elections in which candidates' party affiliations are not listed on the ballot"

Timing of Texas State Elections

"Major state officials (Governor

Democratic House Walkout (2021)

"Texas House Democrats walked out to prevent passage of SB 7; the bill eventually passed in a special session after Democrats returned"

Texas Demographics and Future Elections

"Growing racial/ethnic diversification in Texas may shift future election outcomes away from Republican dominance; demographics are considered the biggest factor in future change"