Voter Turnout In Texas Essay

From the PowerPoint “Thinking Critically about Elections in Texas” it says that in 2014 only 33.4 percent of all eligible voters exercised their right to vote. This means that Texas has a very low voting rate, which can affect Texas in the long run. Why is it that Texas has such a low voting turnout? Why are people not participating? The same PowerPoint suggest that maybe it is because of the vast number of elections or maybe when they schedule voting times. There is being millions of dollars spent on campaigns and such to get the word out and get people involved but Texas voters are still not voting!

The voter turnout in Texas has been low for a very long time. For the past 50 years the numbers of citizens that participate in the national, state, and local elections have decreased. Voters turn-out is the percentage of voters that are able to vote legally, that actually cast a vote in the elections. There are a number of things that can increase the percentage but I’m sure these examples will never happen. I believe that the voter turnout is low because people aren’t into politics because many believe they are all corrupt. People rather not vote because they believe their vote won’t make a difference but in reality I will make an impact. There are other reasons people choose not to vote such as not being registered, disabilities, being

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

These barriers tend to be more reported during contested elections then any other time. (Governing Texas) (Texas Politics, n.d.) Even with the help of limiting these barriers Texas ranks last in the nation when it comes to citizens voting. Education is the number one contributor.

Texas has a long ballot, which is an election system that provides for the election that lists all candidates, for all positions, from all political parties, available to a specific voting district. The long ballot includes the president and vice president, two U.S. senators, U.S. Representatives, governor of Texas and five other state executive officials, three railroad commissioners, one member of the State Board of Education (SBOE), one state senator, one state representatives, nine members if the Texas Supreme Court, Nine members of the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, at least two and as many as 70 or more state appellate and district court judges, and numerous local officials varying in city officials to county executives. Being that

When it is around time for elections, signs around the neighborhood will start appearing to tell people to vote for them. This occurs mainly around the time of the primaries. The primaries occur every even year and they exist to elect state positions. Meaning who represents someone in the districts may change drastically or stay about the same. In simplest terms, the primary election exists to narrow down the amount of people running in the general election. Sometimes if the results are too close, a runoff will occur in between the primary and general election. 23 of these have yet to happen. The 2018 Texas primaries happened earlier this year on March 6th and the results have been released. The voter turnout, the results,

Texas is the key for democratic success in the United States. Texas is known for the majority of the population being minorities. The 2013 census shows that 56 percent of the population in Texas is Hispanic, African-American, Asian American or Native American; that only leaves 44 percent of the population are Anglos or

Abbott Rejects Obama Criticism Of Texas Voter Turnout Efforts By Jamie Lovegrove Texas Tribune • Mar 14, 2016 ShareTwitter Facebook Google+ Email Texas Gov. Greg Abbott at a press conference on Monday dismissed President Obama's criticisms of the state's efforts to improve voter turnout, arguing that the state must crack down on "rampant" voter fraud. Jamie Lovegrove / Texas Tribune Texas Gov. Greg Abbott repudiated President Barack Obama’s recent criticisms of the state’s voter laws on Monday, arguing that Texas must remain vigilant against voter fraud. “What I find is that leaders of the other party are against efforts to crack down on voter fraud,” Abbott said. “The fact is that voter fraud is rampant. In Texas, unlike some other states

Texas is known to have the lowest levels of voting participation in the nation. Numerous factors play a role in the voting inactivity within the state. For instance, some citizens may feel as if their ballot does not have any significance. Others may not have any interest in politics due to the lack of education on the subject or solidarity on issues within the political climate. In addition, age group or income can also be an effect. Citizens exercising their suffrage is important due to the interdependent relationship with our government. To increase voting participation and protect individual’s right to suffrage, there should be the establishment of practice in civic responsibilities and automatic registration, more in-depth teaching of

The main point according Martin P. Wattenberg in Is Voting For Young People is that young people today do not vote during elections as much compared to other voting groups. Young people today are politically unengaged. “These state patterns of voting participation can be confirmed on the national level by the Census Bureau’s 2010 survey data. Among U.S. citizens under the age of 30 in 2010, only 24 percent reported that they voted.” (Page-188, IVYP) The low attendance of young people voting in Presidential elections indicates that young people do not care enough about politics to participate.

Hypothesis 1: Voters with higher education (which generally results in higher household incomes) are more likely to vote.

Elections are an important part of creating a legitimate state. They allow us to have a say in how decisions are made in a government. However, the voter turnout for an election does not have an effect on the type of regime that will develop in a state. It does not matter if the election is in an authoritarian government or a democratic one, the regime does not have a large impact on the turnout of voters. What matters in voter turnout is whether the citizens believe in the regime. If they feel that the state is legitimate then they are more likely to vote. Also, if the voters believe that their vote counts and is not a ‘wasted vote’ then you are more likely to have a larger voter turnout. For example, the International Institute for Democracy

There are also other factors, such as age and socioeconomic status. People who belong to a lower socioeconomic status might be more preoccupied with earning enough money to get by- political matters are not as high on their list of priorities. Age is also a contributor to a low voter turnout- young people tend to move around

this low voting rate was attributed to a general lack of feeling of responsibility. As young adults age, marry, and become parents, their sense of community and responsibility increases, while their apathy toward voting decreases, (Abramson 116). Another reason for low voter turnout numbers for 18 to 24-year-olds is their generally low levels of party loyalties. Not having strong party ties decreases one's incentive to vote.

Political participation is a right afforded to United States citizens; it is our civic duty to participate and is ultimately a privilege. The founders believed that it was the newly founded government’s responsibility to protect the basic rights of the people. With those beliefs they made the United States of America, a two-tiered, three-branch democracy and therefore the people hold the power to freely elect who they want to represent them in government. The local representatives, we elect push for laws of interest to the majority and provide them with the resources that they need. The president implements and enforces laws that Congress passes. With such social ramifications and power granted to government representatives it would seem as though nearly everyone should be invested in political matters and actively engaged in political participation. Among the easiest ways to get involved politically is through the voting process and elections, others are symbolic participation, civil society participation, protesting, marching, contacting public officials, being part of election campaigns and even running for office. While voting is among the easiest ways to be a part of this democracy, the turnout is low. The right to vote has opened up to a larger number of people through legislation, but still the turnout rate is low. There are factors that show a correlation in the chance of whether or not one will vote, and are very telling in some instances. Voting in the United