1. Voting and Elections
Chapter 4

2. Copyright © 2016 Cengage Learning.
Learning Objectives
LO 4.1 Explain why voter turnout is low in Texas. LO 4.2 Describe the types of Texas elections. LO 4.3 Understand how elections are administered in Texas. LO 4.4 Identify the factors that advantage (or disadvantage) candidates in Texas elections. LO 4.5 Apply what you have learned about voting and elections in Texas.
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3. Political Participation
The Participation Paradox and Why People Vote
Who Votes?
Demographic variables
Political factors
Participation paradox: The fact that citizens vote even though a single vote rarely decides an election.
The most important demographic variables in determining who votes are education, income and age.
Political factors such as one’s expressed interest in politics and the intensity of identification with political parties influence the likelihood of voting.
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4. Political Participation
The Practice of Voting
Legal qualifications for voting in Texas
Voter Turnout in the United States and in Texas
Voter turnout
Voting-age population (VAP)
The legal qualifications for voting in Texas are surprisingly few and simple. Anyone who is (1) a citizen of the United States, (2) at least 18 years of age, and (3) a resident of the state is eligible to register and vote in Texas.
Voter turnout: The proportion of eligible Americans who actually vote.
Voting-age population: The total number of persons in the United States who are 18 years of age or older.
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5. Copyright © 2016 Cengage Learning.
How Many People Vote in the United States? Presidential Election Turnout
Figure 4.1 Here we see that turnout declined in the early 1970s but has not changed much during the last 30 years. A little more than 50 percent of the voting-age population now vote in presidential elections.
Describe the groups that are most likely to vote. Does one party or the other benefit more when there is a high turnout of voters?
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6. Voter Turnout from Around the World
Figure 4.2 The United States is most similar to India, Russia, and Tunisia.
Source: International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance,
Why is voter turnout so far below what we observe in other established, industrialized democracies?
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Percentage of the Voting-Age Population Casting Ballots in Presidential General Elections,
Table 4.1 How does Texas Compare? Voter Turnout in the State and Nation
Sources: Lester Milbrath, “Participation in the American States,” in Herbert Jacob and Kenneth N. Vines (eds.), Politics in the American States, 2nd ed. (Boston: Little, Brown, 1971), pp ; Statistical Abstract of the United States, 1976, 1979, 1983, 1986, 1989, and 1993 (Washington, DC:U.S. Government Printing Office); Federal Election Commission, “Voter Registration and Turnout,” United States Elections Project, For 2012, turnout estimates are based on data from the Texas Secretary of State and VAP numbers are from the United States Elections Project.
Should the government take steps to encourage people to vote? Why or why not?
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8. Copyright © 2016 Cengage Learning.
Percentage of the Voting-Age Population Casting Ballots in Nonpresidential General Elections,
Table 4.2 How does Texas Compare? Voter Turnout in the State and Nation
Sources: Statistical Abstract of the United States, 1976, 1979, 1983, 1989, and 1996 (Washington, DC:U.S. Government Printing Office); Federal Election Commission, “Voter Registration and Turnout,” United States Elections Project,
How would a higher voter turnout affect election results in Texas?
What factors explain why Texas has such a low voter turnout compared to other states?
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9. Who Votes? Reasons for Low Voter Turnout in Texas Legal constraints
Demographic factors
Historically, 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. All of these restrictions have since been changed by amendments to the U.S. Constitution, state and national laws, rulings by the U.S. Department of Justice and judicial decisions.
Demographically, more than 4 million people live in poverty in Texas. Given that income and education are such important determinants of electoral participation, low voter turnout is exactly what we should expect in Texas given its high rate of poverty.
What explains why some people are more likely to vote than others?
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Who Votes?
Reasons for Low Voter Turnout in Texas (cont.)
Political structure
Party competition
Political culture
Texas uses a long ballot that may call for the voter to choose from as many as 150 to 200 candidates vying for 50 or more offices. The frequency of referendums on constitutional amendments contributes to the length of the ballot in Texas. In addition, voters are also asked to go to the polls for various municipal, school board, bond, and special-district elections.
With rare exceptions, the races between candidates of the two parties in November elections in Texas have not been competitive. This dampens voter interest and turnout.
Low voter turnout in Texas may be due in part to the state’s political culture, which is a mix of the traditionalistic and the individualistic. As a result, participation in politics is not as highly regarded as it is in other states, particularly those with a moralistic culture.
Identify forms of participation other than voting. Which forms of participation have the greatest impact in Texas politics?
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11. Types of Elections in Texas
Primary Elections
Direct primary
Who must hold a primary?
Any party receiving 20 percent of the gubernatorial vote
Direct primary: A method of selecting party nominees in which party members participate directly in the selection of a candidate to represent them in the general election.
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12. Types of Elections in Texas
Primary Elections (cont.)
Financing primaries
Administering primaries
The majority rule
Runoff primary
Most of the primaries’ costs come from the state treasury.
Runoff primary: A second primary election that pits the two top vote-getters from the first primary, where the winner in that primary did not receive a majority. The runoff primary is used in states such as Texas that have a majority election rule in party primaries.
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13. Fees for Listing on the Party Primary Ballot in Texas, Selected Offices
Table 4.3
How much do filing fees limit candidates’ access to the state ballot?
Should election laws attempt to discourage frivolous candidates?
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14. Types of Elections in Texas
Primary Elections (Cont’d.)
Closed primary
Open primary
Crossover voting
Open primary: A type of primary where voters can choose on Election Day in which primary they will participate.
Closed primary: A type of primary where a voter is required to specify a party preference when registering to vote.
Crossover voting: When members of one political party vote in the other party’s primary to influence the nominee that is selected.
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15. Types OF Elections in Texas
General Elections
Won by a plurality vote
Special Elections
Designed to meet special or emergency needs
General elections are held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November of even-numbered years.
Plurality vote: An election rule in which the candidate with the most votes wins regardless of whether it is a majority.
Special elections are held to fill vacancies only in legislative bodies that have general (rather than limited) lawmaking power.
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16. The conduct and administration of elections
County-level Administration
Ballot Construction
Party-column ballot
Split-ticket voting
Straight-ticket voting
Office-block ballot
Party-column ballot: A type of ballot used in a general election where all of the candidates from each party are listed in parallel columns under the party label.
Split-ticket voting: A voter selecting candidates from one party for some offices and candidates from the other party for other offices.
Straight-ticket voting: Selecting all of the candidates of one particular party.
Office-block ballot: A type of ballot used in a general election where the names of the parties’ candidates are randomly listed in under each office.
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17. The conduct and administration of elections
Ballot Construction (Cont’d.)
The Politics of Ballot Construction
Getting on the Ballot
Write-in Candidates
Political parties in Texas support the use of the party column ballot.
For a name to be placed on the general-election ballot, the candidate must be either a party nominee or an independent.
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18. Figure 4.3
A Typical Texas Ballot from Bexar County
Recall from the text that Republican candidates were listed first in 2014 because their candidate (former
Governor Rick Perry) received the most votes in the previous gubernatorial election. Notice that voters are
able to vote for all of the candidates of a single party—that is, vote a straight ticket—by making a single
mark on the ballot. It is in midterm elections, like this one in 2014, that state executives are elected.
Figure 4-3 p96

19. The conduct and administration of elections
Ballot Construction (Cont’d.)
The secret ballot and the integrity of elections
Australian ballot
Multilingualism
Australian ballot: A ballot printed by the government (as opposed to the political parties) that allows people to vote in secret. Optional at first, the Australian ballot was made mandatory in 1903.
Ballots in most Texas counties are printed in English. In more than 100 counties, the ballot is printed in both English and Spanish. In 2002, the U.S. Department of Justice ordered Harris County, which includes Houston, to provide ballots (and voting material) in Vietnamese as well.
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20. Figure 4.4
An English–
Vietnamese Ballot
Used in Harris
County for the 2012
General Election
This ballot offers the
straight-party option
and then the candidates
for the separate offices,
consistently listing the
Republicans first, then the
Democrats, followed by
other candidates.
Figure 4-4 p99

21. Voters cast their votes electronically by touching screens.
p101

22. The conduct and administration of elections
Early Voting
Counting and Recounting Ballots
Chad
Electronic Voting
Early voting: The practice of voting before Election Day at traditional voting locations, such as schools, and other locations, such as grocery and convenience stores.
Chad: The small pieces of paper produced when voting with punch-card ballots.
Electronic voting: Voting by using touch screens.
Does electronic voting solve the problems with the paper ballot? How can we tell?
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23. Election Campaigns in Texas: strategies, resources, and results
The General Election Campaign
Mobilizing groups
Choosing issues
The campaign trail
Negative campaigning
Timing
Negative campaigning: A strategy used in election campaigns in which candidates attack opponents’ issue positions or character.
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24. Election Campaigns in Texas: strategies, resources, and results
Money in Election Campaigns
Political Action Committees (PACs)
Where does the money go?
Control over money in campaigns
Soft money
Independent expenditures
Political Action Committees (PACs): Organizations that raise and then contribute money to political candidates.
Soft money: Money spent by political parties on behalf of political candidates, especially for the purposes of increasing voter registration and turnout.
Independent Expenditures: Money individuals and organizations spend to promote a candidate without working or communicating directly with the candidate’s campaign organization.
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25. Profiles of Texas Campaign Mega-Donors
Table 4.4
Explain how Texas campaign finance regulations are designed to hold public officials and campaign contributors accountable by shining the light of publicity on them. Think of other ways to limit potential corrupting influences that do not interfere with freedom of expression.
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26. Election Campaigns in Texas: strategies, resources, and results
Who Gets Elected
Elected offices in Texas can be viewed as a pyramid.
Successful candidates have typically been white Protestant males.
Women and minorities have made substantial gains in statewide offices.
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27. citizens united v. federal election commission
Click on picture to view video
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28. video discussion questions
How did the Citizens United ruling impact the last gubernatorial race in Texas?
Do you believe most Texans supported this ruling? Why or why not?
Which interests in the state benefited most from the outcome of this case?
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29. Chapter 5
Political Parties

30. Copyright © 2016 Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.
Learning Objectives
LO 5.1 Identify the characteristics of American political parties. LO 5.2 Understand the evolution of the party system in Texas. LO 5.3 Evaluate the importance of party organization. LO 5.4 Assess the functions of political parties in American and Texas politics. LO 5.5 Apply what you have learned about Texas political parties.
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31. Characteristics of American Political Parties
Two-Party System
Competition usually between Democrats and Republicans
Single-member districts
Two-party system: A political system characterized by two dominant parties competing for political offices. In such systems, minor or third parties have little chance of winning.
Single-member districts: Election districts in which one candidate is elected to a legislative body.
Explain why there are two major parties in the U.S. and Texas.
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32. Characteristics of American Political Parties
Pragmatism
Valence issues
Position issues
Growing polarization?
Decentralization
Pragmatism: The philosophy that ideas should be judged on the basis of their practical results rather than on the purity of their principles.
Valence issues: Issues on which virtually all of the public agrees, for instance, such as peace and prosperity.
Position issues: Issues on which the public is divided.
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The Decentralized Nature of American Political Parties and the Importance of the National Party’s Service Function
Figure 5.1 The diagram shows the semi-independent relationship that exists among national, state, and local party organizations and the increasingly important services and funds provided by the national party organization.
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34. Development of the Texas Party System
The One-Party Tradition in Texas
Ideological Factions in America and Texas
Conservatives
Liberals
Under the Republic of Texas, there was little party activity. Political divisions were usually oriented around support of, or opposition to, Sam Houston, a leading founder of the Republic. After Texas became a state, however, the Democratic Party dominated Texas politics until the 1990s.
Conservatives believe that individuals should be left alone to compete in a free market unfettered by government control; they prefer that government regulation of the economy be kept to a minimum.
Liberals believe that it is often necessary for government to regulate the economy and to promote greater social equality.
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35. Development of the Texas Party System
Conservatives and Liberals and Texas Democrats
The rise of the Republican Party
The Republicans become competitive
Pivotal events in the rejuvenation of the Republican Party in Texas:
1961: John Tower elected to the U.S. Senate
1978: Bill Clements elected governor
1992: Republicans hold both U.S. Senate seats
1998: Republicans win every statewide election
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Changes in the Number of Republican and Democratic Officeholders in Texas
Table 5.1
What explains the Republicans’ dominance of the Texas political scene today? To what extent will demographic changes affect the future success of the party?
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37. Development of the Texas Party System
The rise of the Republican Party (cont.)
The era of Republican dominance
Party realignment
Partisan identification
Dealignment
Sources of Republican strengths and weaknesses
Party realignment: The transition from one dominant party system to another.
Partisan identification: A person’s attachment to one political party or the other.
Dealignment: When increasing numbers of voters choose not to identify with either of the two parties and consider themselves to be independents.
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38. Percentage of voters indicating a major party identification
Table 5.2
Sources: Polls conducted by Belden and Associates (1952 and 1972) Harte-Hanks Communications (1990) American National Election Studies (2002) and the University of Texas at Austin, Austin/Texas Tribune polls (2008 and 2014).
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39. Results of the 2012 Presidential Election
Figure 5.2: The map shows the only 26 counties won by Barack Obama. Note that Obama carried more populous counties like Bexar, Dallas, Harris and -\Travis, and Mitt Romney carried the smaller counties outside of South and Southwest Texas. Source: Office of the Texas Secretary of State.
What does this mean for the future of the Democratic Party in Texas?
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40. Development of the Texas Party System
Conservatives and Moderates and Texas Republicans
Evangelical (fundamentalist) Christians
Party platform
Tea party
Evangelical (fundamentalist) Christians: A bloc of conservative Christians who are concerned with such issues as family, religion, abortion, gay rights, and community morals, and often support the Republican Party.
Party platform: The formal issue positions of a political party; specifics are often referred to as planks in the party’s platform.
Tea Party: A faction or groups of very conservative Republicans generally resistant to compromise of its principles.
Is Texas becoming a one-party Republican state? Or is there reason to expect increased competition between the parties in the future? Why or why not?
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41. Development of the Texas Party System
Can the Democrats still compete?
Tipping
Swing voters
Tipping: A phenomenon that occurs when a demographic group grows large enough to change the political balance in the electorate.
Swing voters: Voters who are not bound by party identification and who support candidates of different parties in different election years.
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42. The Organization of Texas political parties
Temporary-Party Organization
Precinct convention
County and senatorial district conventions
State conventions
Presidential preference primary
Precinct convention: A gathering of citizens within a precinct—where people vote—who voted in the party’s primary.
Presidential preference primary: A primary election that allows voters in the party to vote directly for candidates seeking their party’s presidential nomination.
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43. Texas Political Party Organization
How does the process of selecting delegates ensure that many of the delegates who attend the national convention have been “grassroots” supporters of the party?
Figure 5.3 The chart shows the three levels of state party organization in Texas and the ties of the state organization to the national party organization.

44. The Organization of Texas political parties
Permanent-Party Organization
Precinct-level organization
County-level organization
State-level organization
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45. The functions of political parties
The Party in the Electorate
The Party as Organization
The Party in Government
The party in the electorate refers to the identification of citizens with the parties.
The party as organization is the formal structure of the party itself.
The party in government consists of the elected officials in government and what they do while there.
How do parties help represent the public in government?
Are parties always good agents of the public?
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46. Table 5-3 p129

47. Party Control in the Fifty States: How Texas Compares
Figure 5.4 How Does Texas Compare? Party Control of Government
The map illustrates party control of government in the American states.
Source: National Council of State Legislatures. The figure depicts whether Republicans control both the executive and legislative branches (red), Democrats control both (blue), or control is divided (purple).
Based on demographic changes in Texas, is the state likely to become more competitive or less competitive in the future?
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48. Click on picture to view video
former governor ann Richards discusses the rise of the republican party in texas
Click on picture to view video
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49. video discussion questions
Who benefits from a two-party system?
How does former Governor Richards describe the “winning formula” for a major Democratic victory in Texas? Is this accurate?
Characterize differences between Texan Republicans and Democrats.
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