Low Voter Turnout In Texas Essay

Whether or not there is a legitimate reason for Republicans to worry about states like Texas leaning Democratic because of their minority, including Hispanic, populations, may depend largely on the level of political engagement of these groups. Increasing voter registration and turnout is a decidedly mixed proposition for the Republicans: if past is prologue, Latinos tend to vote Democrat so that in order for Republicans to prevail in elections, they must either launch an aggressive campaign to win over Latinos, or try to suppress the Latino vote so that there will be fewer votes for Democrats. For Texas, its electoral future depends on whether it can engage a larger number and broader range of its citizens to meet the opportunities and challenges that lay ahead (Lawrence.) If not, Texas will continue to be a state in which there are minimal levels of voter participation overall, and where minority groups are significantly underrepresented.

Voter turnout in Texas is ranked amoung the lowest in the states. However, there are several reasons for this. Over the years political scientist have dicovered that education, income, and age have a lot to do with overall voter turnout. People who are better educated, have higher incomes, and are older are more likely to care about politics and actually vote.

I believe that many people in Texas do not care to vote because of apathy and the majority see a system that is corrupt, full of lies and

The Texas population consists of people with a variety of different cultural and racial background. The Texas population seems to be very young with an approximate 27.3 percent of the population being under the age of 18, and about 11.5 percent being over the age of 65 (U.S. Census Bureau, “Texas.”). Factors that increase the Texas population include higher birthrates, lower death rates, as well as immigration from other countries and states. The population is changing from a primarily white population as recorded during the 1990s to a projected primarily Latino population by 2050. However, Latinos were not a considered a separate ethnic group until the 1990s but were counted to the white population which consisted of European whites and the Latinos. The African- American population decreased from over 20 percent during the 1850s to below 20 percent population as of 2015. Asian- Americans are considered the smallest population in Texas at 4.5 percent (The Asian Population,” 2010 Census Briefs). Due to the changing economy and

Over the course of United States history, Texas has always been a peculiar state. It has had it's fair share of triumphs and downfalls, some of which were the Battle of The Alamo, the defeat of the Spanish army, and its acquisition by the United States. Although the history of Texas might seem to dominate the opinions of many, the governmental component is no different. In fact, some have debated if the very foundation of our government is a democracy or a republic. In response, and through thorough research, I have concluded that Texas is, in fact, a democracy, because there is a multitude of electoral systems, an array of elected positions that citizens can run for, and a myriad of court systems to which justice can be served.

Looking at the election results derived from Texas in the past, it can be said that the Republicans have had the upper hand over the Democratic Party in this state for quite some time, but the cities tend to be very liberal. There are currently only 12 Democratic representatives and 24 Republican representatives to U.S. House of Representatives. (Govtrack.us). Since 1846, in the state of Texas, there have been 39 Democratic

Texas remains a large state with masses of diversity in addition. Despite all the Texas greatness and large land there remains one issue that stays still not immense in, which is voting. Surprisingly, only twenty-two percent of Texans vote. Furthermore, Texas is positioned second to last with the lowest voting rate. There exist plenty of reasons Texas has such a minimal voter turnout rate. One reason mentioned in the Texas Civil Health Index “transpires Texas demographic” (Texas 20). In addition, another reason befalls that people actually believe that their vote doesn’t matter. Finally, a third reason stands that people ensue uneducated. Voting will transform our lives, if citizens just speak up everything will be just the way Texans want it. Texans need to benefit of their freedom and not let only segment of the state control our appeals and needs. It is essential to vote; that will be the only way our voice could be heard; it

Many voters are tied up in work during the daytime and evening. Extending the polling hours would help cover the votes of more working Americans. Another thing that may increase turnout, that some states are already adopting, would be to allow voters to register on election day. Many voters fail to register on time for various reasons and therefore do not vote. Various ad campaigns targeted at simply getting people out and voting would also make people interested in taking a more active role in elections.

There are numerous varieties of election races in Texas. The state Constitution and the political society in Texas together have made a framework of our legal system that welcomes Texans to pick applicants for a great numerous public offices in all levels of the government inside the state. The Constitution needs direct election for different state offices inside the executive branch and inside the legal system of the judicial branch, likewise with respect to various county level offices. A few legislative activities oblige changing the Constitution, that also needs special established constitutional amendment elections. Numerous metropolitan and other local offices are filled

The special election process is not fair and therefore not adequate, because it is more difficult for working-class citizens and minority voters to participate in the election. Currently, elections take place on weekdays during working times. This decreases voter turnout, as many people are unable to leave work to go vote. Furthermore, this disproportionately affects working-class citizens and people who earn hourly wages. Voter ID laws, while practical, further decrease voter turnout because people who do not own adequate identification or who are not aware of the need for identification are unable to vote. Next, the lack of widespread voting centers makes it more difficult for voters to reach a voting center, especially working-class citizens and urban dwellers, many of whom do not own cars or other forms of transportation. Lastly, the language barrier also makes it increasingly difficult for minorities to participate in the voting process, decreasing voter

Texas is currently dominated by the Republican culture with a popular belief in conservatism that has lasted for many years. Democratic and Liberal groups are also present in the Texas but play as the minorities. Although demographics through the years show that a change in the dominant party could very well be eminent, Texas remains a red state for the time being. Currently the population is estimated at 24.5 million and is dominantly Anglo with minorities including African American, and Hispanic. In the coming years though, it is estimated to change where as the Hispanic population will surpass become the new majority.

All members of the Texas state legislature should have one common motive. That is, to represent the citizens of their state. Champagne et. al. states that “…members…are responsible for bringing the interests and concerns of their constituencies directly into the democratic political processes” (2017, p.211). In order to effectively do so, a member of the Texas House will represent roughly 168,000 citizens while a senator may represent more than 811,000 constituents (Champagne et al., 2017,

I do not believe Texas with its changing demographics and social climate will be on the brink of another switch in party dominance anytime soon as immigration, guns and education are major factors. The demographics of Texas deal with the rising growth of the minority population throughout the years. In my opinion, I think minorities make up roughly half of Texas’s overall population. According to utexas.edu, “[a]s the reality of demographic changes set in during the late 1990s, part of what defined many Republicans as moderates was an emphasis in both rhetoric and policy toward increasing the party's appeal to Latinos and other ethnic and racial minorities”. Although the Democratic Party is known for receiving votes from minorities, the Republican

A study done by the Pew Hispanic Center in 2010 listed more 1.7 million undocumented residents living in the state of Texas. (Tannahill) The population growth rate, whether by legal or illegal means is only one of the issues that has been troubling state law makers and affecting the state’s water plan. The second issue that is affecting Texas’ water is the drought conditions that the state is currently suffering from.

Merriam-Webster online dictionary defines democracy "as a form of government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised by the people" (www.merriam-webster.com). But the one big problem is that "We the people" are not exercising their "supreme power" to determine the U.S. government. Less than half of the eligible electorate showed up at the polls for the 1996 U.S. presidential election. While lower turnout has marred previous presidential elections, 1996's voter turnout dipped below 50 percent for the first time in more than 30 years. It appears that the people's increasing cynicism about politicians that they lie to get elected and the perception that people have no respect or confidence in the