Texas Government and Elections

Texas Government and Elections

State Officials

  • Lt. Governor of Texas: Dan Patrick
  • Attorney General: Ken Paxton

Elections in Texas

  • Frequency: Elections occur every year, twice a year.

10th Amendment

  • Definition: The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.

Election Laws

  • Authority: States determine election laws.

Primary Elections

  • Purpose: To narrow down a list of candidates to one candidate for any position.
  • Voter Options: Voters have options in this election.
  • Types:
    • Open Primaries
    • Closed Primaries

Open vs. Closed Primaries

  • Open Primary: Any registered voter can vote in either party's primary, but not both.
  • Closed Primary: Only registered party members can vote in that party's primary (registered for 2 years).

Texas Primary Election Type

  • Texas has characteristics of both open and closed primary systems.

Primary Election Timing

  • Occur in even-numbered years.
  • In Texas, they are held in March.

Voter Turnout

  • Lowest Turnout: Primary, Midterm, and Special Elections.
  • Highest Turnout: General Elections.

General Elections

  • Purpose: Picking a winner between the parties (Democrats and Republicans).
  • Timing: November of even-numbered years.

Special Elections

  • Timing: Odd-numbered years.
  • Also Known As: Local Elections.
  • Months and Purposes:
    • May: School board, Mayor, City council, water board members.
    • November: Adding or rejecting new amendments to the State Constitution in Texas.

Government Structure

Local Government
  • Mayor and city council members
  • Sheriff (oversees county jails)
  • Police Chief
  • District Attorney (prosecutes crimes, most powerful position in the county)
State Government
  • Governor (Gubernatorial election)
  • Lt. Governor
  • Attorney General
  • State judges
  • State Senators (work in Austin)
  • State House members (work in Austin)
  • Railroad commissioners (regulate the oil & gas industry)
  • The State board of education (works in Austin)
National Government
  • Congress person (works in Washington D.C. in the House)
  • Congress: U.S. Representatives and U.S. Senate
  • State senator (works in Austin)
  • Two U.S. senators from Texas (work in Washington D.C.)
  • President and Vice President

Congress

  • Composition: U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate.

House of Representatives

  • Members: 435 representatives.
  • Term Length: 2-year terms.

Senate

  • Members: 100 senators.
  • Term Length: 6-year terms.
  • Term Structure: Staggered terms; approximately 13\frac{1}{3} (30-33) are up for reelection every 2 years.

Congressional Elections

  • Frequency: Every 2 years.

Texas Senators

  • John Cornyn
  • Ted Cruz

Midterm Elections

  • Congressional Election at the halfway point in the President's term.