PARTICIPATION, POLITICAL PARTIES, AND ELECTIONS IN TEXAS Flashcards
What are some key qualities about the First Party Era (1870s - 1930s)?
- Texas was a one-party conservative democratic state.
- Texas was under control of the conservative upper income white elite.
- Democrats win most elections in this era.
What are some key qualities about the Second Party Era (1940 - 1952)?
- The liberal Democrat party emerges and gains some success.
- People who are not happy about the Great Depression blamed conservatives which caused liberals’ growing power.
What are some key qualities about the Third Party Era (1953 - 1977)?
- Liberal Democrats become the majority because legal barriers blocking Black, Hispanic, and poor White voters came down.
- Conservative Democrats became Republican.
- The Republican party emerges.
What are some key qualities about the Fourth Party Era (1978 - 1993)?
- Republicans gain strength and make up slightly below 50% of elected offices.
- White collar workers started moving to Texas which gave the Republican party power.
- Democrats became more liberal and still take up the majority in elected offices.
What are some key qualities about the Fifth Party Era (1994 - present)?
- Democrats and Republicans are both capable of winning elections in Texas.
- Republicans do better in the top-of-the-ballot races while Democrats do better on the county level/lower down the ballot.
What changes would signal the start of a Sixth Party Era in Texas?
Either Republicans completely dominate Texas offices or Democrats start winning top-of-the-ballot races.
What are the voting requirements in Texas?
- 18+
- U.S. Citizen
- resident of Texas
- registered at least 30 days before the election
What alternatives to voting on election day are available to Texan voters, and which party do these alternatives favor?
voting early or voting by mail, Democrats
Relative to the entirety of the United States, how is the voter turnout in Texas?
relatively low
Which demographics are more likely to participate in politics (e.g. voting, campaigning, contacting government officials)?
- middle and upper income
- voters ages 55-70
- White and African-American voters (Southern African-Americans have high political participation rates)
- men and women are equally likely to vote, but men are more likely to engage in other forms of political participation
What factors contribute to low voter turnout in Texas?
- High levels of participation are associated with older, better educated, and wealthier populations, which Texas lacks. This is due to Texas’s low ranking in education, unequal distribution of wealth, high rates of teen pregnancy, the young Hispanic plurality, and a high percentage of young Texans living at/below poverty.
- Political parties and unions in Texas are weak, and they have little loyalty and activity.
- Texas has a high percentage of recent immigrants that tend not to vote.
- Texas has too many elections with ballots that are too long.
- The timing of the Texas presidential primary (March) makes it where the state has little influence on who gets to the general election.
- Texas is not a battleground state.
Which demographics in Texas tend to vote Democrat?
- minorities
- low-income voters of all races
- liberals and moderates
- South Texas and Austin
- native Texans
- voters ages 55-70
- younger women who work (18-36)
- people who live in the inner cities
Which demographics in Texas tend to vote Republican?
- middle and upper income voters in the suburbs
- conservatives
- men ages 18-35
- white collar workers and business owners
- voters who live in the Hill Country
- voters who attend their place of worship regularly (except African-Americans)
What Texas office seats did Republicans occupy after the 2002 election?
- both Senate seats
- all 6 executive seats
- majority of the state House of Representatives
- majority of Senate
- every seat in the Texas Supreme Court and in the Texas Criminal Court of Appeals
- every seat in the Texas Railroad Commission
What Texas office seats did Republicans occupy after the 2004 election?
- both Senate seats
- all 6 executive seats
- 21 of 32 seats in the state House of Representatives
- majority of Senate
- every seat in the Texas Supreme Court and in the Texas Criminal Court of Appeals
- every seat in the Texas Railroad Commission
Why do some people defend the long ballot in Texas?
They reason that it helps hold individual officials accountable.
Why do some people oppose the long ballot in Texas?
They reason that Texans do not have enough information to make intelligent votes on all of the offices on the ballot. Texas should allocate responsibility to the people in power so that Texans have less government officials to keep track of.
What are some important qualities of primary elections in Texas?
- The first primary is open while the runoff primary is closed.
- Candidates win by a simple majority.
- People who turn out in runoffs are typically far-leaning and white, which critics argue is unfair to minority candidates.
- Turnout in runoff elections is too low (~5%).
What are some important qualities of general elections in Texas?
- General elections are to be held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday of November during even number years.
- Currently, general elections do not allow straight-ticket voting, and people must vote office by office.
- The candidate who gets the plurality wins the general election.
When can local elections be held according to state law?
- the third Saturday of January or May
- the second Saturday of August
- the first Tuesday after the first Monday of November
What are special elections, and when are they held?
Elections that need to occur outside of the normal election calendar due to special circumstances, such as to fill government vacancies and raise bonds.
What are important qualities of at-large elections, and what are some examples of at-large elections in Texas?
They cover a large area and are argued to hurt the political influence of minorities because the United States is majority/plurality white in many states, and voters tend to vote for candidates of the same race. This means that at-large election results mostly reflect the wants of white voters.
Examples of at-large elections in Texas include:
1. U.S. Senate
2. the plural executive
3. Texas Railroad Commission
4. Texas Supreme Court and Texas Criminal Court of Appeals
5. some city councils
What is an important quality of district elections, and what are some examples of district elections in Texas?
Minorities have more political influence in district elections because they have a chance to comprise the majority of a district’s population.
Examples of district elections in Texas include:
1. U.S. House of Representatives
2. Texas Senate
3. Texas House of Representatives
4. some city councils
What is the purpose of disenfranchisement?
to dilute a group of voters’ influence, to create difficulty in voting for a group of voters, and to completely deny a group of voters their right to vote
