Low Turnout In Texas Essay

1. How can we explain the low voting turnout, and low participation in general, in Texas? Consider how political culture, socio-economics, race/ethnicity, age, institutional laws etc. may affect these low rates.

Rates of political participation and voting turnout in Texas are low compared with the rest of the nation. Texas was among the most restrictive states in its voting laws through the institution of such things as the poll tax, women’s suffrage, the white primary, restrictions on the military vote, a long residence requirement, property ownership as a requirement for voting in bond elections, annual registration requirements, early registration requirements, and the linking of prospective jurors from the voting rolls. Additionally,

What are the consequences of low turnout for Texas? Who is negatively affected by low turnout? Who benefits from low turnout? How can we as citizens improve turnout?

Low turnout may not be an accurate reflection of the will of the people. Low turnouts can lead to unequal representation among various parts of the population. The lower the turnout, the greater the chance that the election result is not the outcome preferred by the population of potential voters. Low turnout makes it possible for minorities to defeat majorities. The most important impact of low electoral turnout is that decisions are made by a minority of the population.

As a result, the people who participate in election such as Texans over 30 and those with higher incomes and higher levels of education may protect their rights better via their representatives.

Texas’s political culture is conservative. With low voting turnout, the belief in a limited role for government in response to social change will not be changed, so for the people who do not participate in election, they absolutely lose their opportunities for transformation.

A realistic goal is to help individuals improve their habits in a variety of ways large and small, knowing that each effort will improve overall civic

Texas has failed to meet the requirement, under the Voting Rights Act, to show that the measure would not disproportionately disenfranchise registered minority voters. Especially, Hispanics lack either a driver’s license or a personal identification card for voting. The voter ID law very probably reduces turnout of many Democratic and even some Republican voters.

The wave of new voting restrictions passed around the country, mostly by Republicans, after their victories in the 2010 elections. Supporters of the law argue that such restrictions are necessary to prevent fraud. On the other hand, voting law opponents contend these laws disproportionately affect elderly, minority and low-income groups that tend to vote Democratic. Obtaining photo ID can be costly and burdensome because photo ID laws create a new "financial barrier to the ballot box”. It would have prevented hundreds of thousands of Hispanic voters from the polls just because they lack a state-issued photo ID.

4. What do you think It means to be a “citizen” in Texas or the U.S.? Is participation still a necessary part of democratic citizenship for Texas? Is Texas still a democracy (high or low quality) if turnout is so