Unit 3 Politics in Texas1Unit IIITexas Politics• Overview of Political System• Elements of a political system• Interest GroupsTexas Politics1• Media• Party System in Texas• Elections, Campaigns and Political BehaviorPolitical System:Defined• “The institutions, machinery, and processes that enable the people to select the individuals and groups who will govern and Texas Politics2gp gindicate to those selected what policies and programs are desired.”Functions of a Political System• Articulate the demands of society• Select the individuals who occupy positions of powerTexas Politics3• Provide clues as to the policies that government should adoptUnit 3 Politics in Texas2Environments which Influence a Political System• Physical- geography and natural resources•Legal- constitution and lawsTexas Politics4g• Social- ethnic/racial balance, political beliefs, religious beliefs, educational level• Economic- wealth levels, economic activities, wealth distributionTypes of Democratic Systems• Elitist-ruling oligarchy of interests• Participatory-universal citizen participationTexas Politics5participation• Pluralistic-competition between interest groups creates public policy(Pluralism with excessive interest group involvement which thwarts development of policy in public interest is known as Hyperpluralism)Political Culture• “System of shared values, beliefs, and habits of behavior in regard to government and politics.”Texas Politics6pUnit 3 Politics in Texas3Elements of the Texas Political Culture• Conservatism• General hostility to government activity• Stress on individualismTexas Politics7• Belief in free market economy-(laissez-faire)• Emphasis on low taxes• Pseudo laissez-faire economics• Support for business and wealthy• Belief in Social DarwinismVoters Campaigns and ElectionsTexas GovernmentVoters, Campaigns, and ElectionsSuffrage and VotingTexas Politics 9Unit 3 Politics in Texas4Constitutional Provisions for Suffrage• US Constitution• Race- 15th Amendment• Sex- 19th AmendmentTexas Politics10• Taxes- (especially poll tax) - 24th Amendment• Age- if >18 years- 26th Amendment• Texas Constitution (bars voting by)• Mentally incompetent• Felons• PaupersLegal Requirements in Texasfor Voting• US Citizenship• Over 18 years of Age•Residency in state and county for 30 daysTexas Politics11•Residency in state and county for 30 days prior to votingRegistration Procedures• Application-• In person•By mailTexas Politics12• Effective 31st day after application received• Good until Dec 31 of odd numbered year• Automatically renewed unless persons has moved or diedUnit 3 Politics in Texas5Conditions for an Ideal Democracy• Election campaigns are contests by opposing candidates in elections in which•Candidates debate issues of public policy ratherTexas Politics13Candidates debate issues of public policy rather than in personal insults and negative campaigns• Voters vote on the basis of policy issues• Virtually universal participationElections in Texas• Public Elections-• held by governmental body•to decide issues or elect public officialsTexas Politics14to decide issues or elect public officials• Types of public elections• Partisan- (1st Tues after 1st Monday in November of even year• Non-partisan- all other public elections in TexasPartisan Elections• Securing a ballot position• Nominees of legal political parties• Qualified independent candidatesTexas Politics15• Declared write-in candidates• Conducting the election• County Clerk or Election Administrator• Texas Secretary of State supervises• Cost is paid by countyUnit 3 Politics in Texas6Non-partisan Elections• Types of non-partisan elections• Special elections- called to fill interim vacancies or decide on issues• Called and paid for by the unit of government responsibleTexas Politics16py g p• Generally conducted by this unit unless contracted to another unit of government• General (local) elections• held on one of the “uniform” election dates•2ndSaturday in May/ 1stTues after 1stMonday in odd year• plurality vs majority (majority requires runoff election)Types of Elections• At-large- all voters vote on all offices to be filled•By-place or position-if there are multipleTexas Politics17Byplace or positionif there are multiple positions for the same office, voters chose from among candidates running for designated places or positions.• District elections- voters may vote only for candidates in the district where they live.Ballot Listing• Office column ballot- candidates listed by office sought. No indication of party affiliation noted on ballot.Texas Politics18• Party column ballot- candidates listed by party and by office soughtUnit 3 Politics in Texas7Plurality Vote vs Majority Vote• Plurality- candidates receiving the most votes wins. If there are more than two, a candidates may win without an absolute Texas Politics19ymajority.• Majority- candidate must receive more votes than all opponents combined. This may require a run-off election.Party Primaries• Held by the major parties primaries• 1st Tuesday March • Runoff on 2nd Tuesday in AprilQ lifi ti f did tTexas Politics20•Qualification of candidates• Filing fees• Petition• Financed by• Filing fees• State of TexasVoter Turnout in US-200860.0%70.0%80.0%MNMEWINHORAKIDTexas52.2%Texas Politics210.0%10.0%20.0%30.0%40.0%50.0%PcntIASDVTMIOHCTWACONDMAMOWYFLUnit 3 Politics in Texas8Voter Turnout in TX 2008• National turnout- 61-63 percent Voting Age Population• Texas turnout-Texas Politics22• Registered Voters13,575,062• Voting Age Population (VAP)17,735,442• Percentage of VAP Registered76.54• Turnout8,077,795• Percent of Turnout to Registered 59.50• Percent of Turnout to VAP45.55Voting Turnout Nov 2010Texas Politics23Trends in Texas Politics• Impact of ideologically oriented groups• Impact of Political Action Committees• Inclusion of new groupsTexas Politics24gp•Women• Hispanics• Afro-Americans• Religious groups• Return to partisan equality in 2012-201?Unit 3 Politics in Texas9The Texas MediaTexas GovernmentFor a list of Texas Mediahttp://dir.yahoo.com/Regional/u_s__states/texas/Types of Mass Media in Texas• Newspapers• Major dailies- Houston Chronicle, Dallas Morning News, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Austin American Statesman, San Antonio Express-News, El Paso Texas Politics26,p,Times•