Texas Voting History

Despite what many might think, the voting rights act of 1965 is well known across hundreds of nations all over the world. The voting rights act of 1965 has been around for several centuries and has a very important meaning in the lives of many. This act was signed into law by President Lyndon Johnson on August 6, 1965. He aimed to overcome legal barriers at the state and local levels that prevented African Americans from exercising their right to vote under the 15th amendment to the Constitution of the United States. It is a landmark piece of federal legislation that prohibits this racial discrimination. This document is just as big and important as the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence. It would be safe to assume that voting rights act of 1965 is going to be around for a long time and will have an enormous impact on the lives of many people in times to come. The voting acts of 1965 created positive and negative changes for America. But, why was this law created, when was it put into effect, and what effect did it have on the U.S.?

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

In 2012 President Obama spoke to a group of people at a fund raiser event in Texas and seemed optimistic that Texas would soon be a battleground for the Democratic Party (Parker, 2013). Unless Democrats possess an extraordinary strategic plan this could prove to be a challenging task to accomplish. Recent voting in Texas has faithfully been favorable toward the Republican ticket for over 30 years (Parker, 2013). There has been a widespread margin in the percentage of votes between Republican and Democratic candidates in the last four presidential elections. Currently Republicans occupy all elected statewide offices, both state

After the Civil War, the thirteenth, fourteenth, and fifteenth amendment were added to our constitution in order to protect the civil rights of Americans. The thirteenth amendment ended slavery. The fourteenth tells us that all persons born here are natural citizens, as well as states the rights and protection of both citizens and non-citizens under the law. The fifteenth amendment protects a citizen’s right to vote. These were reinforced by the civil rights acts between 1865 and 1875. These acts allowed the President to enforce these acts with armed forces, criminal penalties to those who would interfere with the right to vote or any of these other rights, and penalties to those who would deny equal enjoyment to public accommodations. Unfortunately, many civil rights court cases, and barriers were put in place to undermine the legislation these amendments and acts were meant to create and the rights they were made to protect. This changed in 1954 when Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka stated that segregation of schools violates the equal protection act of the fourteenth amendment. This eventually led to several other civil rights movements during the 1950s and 60s. By this time, Congress was finally compelled to pass legislation to support the civil rights movement. This included the Civil rights act of 1964, which banned discrimination on the bases of color, race, religion, gender, and national origin. The Voting act of 1965, which outlawed tests discriminatory tests

Texas was loyal to Democratic Party for a long period of time due to a number of reasons. First, it has to be recognized that Democratic Party played pivotal role in political development of Texas dating back to the time when the white Americans first settled there. This made Texan Democrats evolve from a loose political association into an organized party. Another reason why Texas remained a stronghold of the Democratic Party was the unavailability of a second party to rival them throughout much of the state's history (Alwyn, 1971). Democratic Party was the only viable party in Texas from 1836 up to 1952. This made them dominate politics at all levels. Politics in Texas revolved around personalities rather than political parties (Alwyn, 1971).

“Texas became a state in December 1845, participating in its first presidential election in 1848. Texas seceded from the Union in 1861 and was not included in the 1864 or 1868 elections. From 1872 through 1976, Texas went Democratic in the vast majority of elections. However, that changed in 1980, and Texas has sided with the Republicans ever since” (www.270towin.com). Unsurprisingly, Texas went red in this most recent presidential election, thus giving all 38 of their electoral college votes to President-elect Trump.

In Texas, worries about voting and races are hued by political changes in late decades. Texans show a significant number of the same essential propensities of voting and non-voting as different Americans. Yet, the challenges gave adequate representation of the specific strengths at work in the Texas appointive universe. These incorporate the as yet developing predominance of the Republican Party, fights over congressional redistricting, extreme and now and again sharp crusading among applicants, progressively lavish battling here and there the poll, proceeding with dating of the developing Latino populace, and that's just the beginning. As every race for open office nears, the broad communications advises us that decisions are both exceedingly

Texas has been a predominantly republican state since the late 1900s. In this past presidential election there was a time when the polls foreshadowed that Texas would go democratic. Many people in Texas have been initiating a Turn Texas Blue movement for this election. This means that the people of Texas want Texas to vote democratic. This was passed around all over social media such as twitter and Facebook.

Texas should encourage every citizen to vote. Here in Texas any citizen that is over 18, not a felon on probation or parole, and has not been found by a judge to be mentally incapable can vote. All citizens that are allowed to vote should have a say in how their state is ran. Texas was set to spend $4 million on voter education in 2016 (Cascos, 2015), hoping to encourage citizens to get out and vote. Although so much is spent on the education of voting, the turnout for each election is still low with less than 60% of registered voters showing up to the polls for presidential elections (Elections and Voter Education, 2016). The problem is that the money is being spent encouraging and educating the wrong voters. Instead of going out to encourage

The Voting Rights Act of 1965 was enacted into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson, its goal was to break down the legal barriers at the state and local levels that prevented African Americans from exercising their right to vote as it’s supposed to be guaranteed under the 15th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. This law helped to disperse and reduce systematic discrimination that would ultimately limit and prohibit African Americans from voting. An example of this being the literacy tests. African Americans trying to vote would often get turned away by pollers saying that they got the date, time etc. wrong or filled the application out incorrectly or give them the most difficult of tasks like reciting the entire constitution all to show their

It took about 100 years for women to achieve this right. In the beginning, women pointed out that “women and men were created equal,” but when this argument held no weight in their fight to vote, they started to point out that “women should be able to vote because they are different” (“The Fight for,” 2009). This change in their argument helped them greatly because it served “many political agendas” (“The Fight for,” 2009). Women had become very persistent about gaining citizenship and the right to vote. They did everything they could to prove their worthiness and it paid off.

Legally, the passage of the Fifteenth Amendment just a few years after the close of the Civil War, African American men had the right to vote according to the United States Constitution. However, racial relations in the south had deteriorated so greatly that even such constitutionally-protected elements of their lives were unable to survive. Whites passed a number of laws designed to disenfranchise African American men, knowing that without the right to vote, the voices of newly-freed slaves would not be heard. These laws included such measures as literacy tests, poll taxes, property qualifications, and so-called “grandfather” clauses that denied an individual the right to vote if their grandfather did not vote himself. Race relations in the south had deteriorated so rapidly that even something as basic as voting, something that was to be provided to African American men according to the United States Constitution, was denied them (“The state…”, 2011).

The passage of the 1964 civil rights Act and the right to vote Act of 1965 have an enormous significance to the American society. For instance, the 1964 civil rights Act passage did lead to the realization of the Federal government power to the struggle that leads to the ultimate fulfillment of a much more just and inclusive society in America (Ogbar, J. O. 2005), giving strength to a century old reconstruction effort. Also, its passage intensified the mobilization at the grassroots level as it had only fulfilled some part of the objectives of the civil rights activist and by its adoption, it increased the resolve to demand more so as to guarantee the civil rights of the African Americans. It is also important to state that the 1964 Civil Rights Act was very significant in instigating the precedence that manifested itself in the subsequent waves of protest that followed before the realization of the passage of the 1965 Voting Rights Act. Which was also a paramount passage that leads to the redress of the past legacy that discriminated the access to the ballot by African Americans (Mayer, Robert 2004)? As a result of the passage of this two acts the marginalized groups in the society became aware of their rights and resolved to assert their rights, in essence. Since the enactment of this Acts many more Americans previously disenfranchised have utilized this Acts to challenge many forms of discrimination and harassments that are related to race, gender, religion and much more. In essence, it is important to highlight the fact that with the

According to Daniel Elazar, the political culture of the state of Texas can be considered a combination of traditionalistic and individualistic elements (Elazar). Texas’ low level of voter turnout, along with the attending voters tending towards conservative attitudes regarding economic and social issues, contributes to the predominance of a

The Voting Rights Act is a famous civil rights rule that goes back to the birth of this nation. In 1776 while men with property will have the right to vote however, Catholics, Jews Quakers and others are banded from voting. (www.aclu.com) Dr. Hogan, I know that this is a very complicated and complex subject, I’m just going to introduce the important markers that lead up to LBJ signing of the act in 1965. In 1856 Property qualifications for voting are eliminated in certain elections in North Carolina, giving all white men there the opportunity to vote. (www.aclu.org)