Slide 1Slide 2Slide 3Redistricting2012 ElectionsSlide 6Slide 7Redistricting TechniquesSlide 9Slide 10“One Person, One Vote”Voting Rights Act (1965)Slide 13Slide 14Types of ElectionsShelby County (AL) v. Holder (2013)Slide 17Slide 18Slide 192012 General ElectionSlide 212012 Senatorial Election in TexasElections in TexasResponses?ElectionsAnthony Downs: two party competition results in attempt by both parties to gain the vote of the “median voter.”LiberalConservativeMedian Voter“The era of big government is over.”Bill Clinton, in search of the median voter, circa 1996.Redistricting-States draw new boundaries for electoral districts every ten years-Gerrymandering: drawing an electoral district in order to give electoral advantage to one political partyProposed Austin Congressional Districts, 20112012 Elections-In the U.S. as a whole, 1.4 million more people voted for Democrats than for Republicans in House of Representatives elections-Result: 234 Republican seats and 201 Democratic seatsDemocratRepublicanOther1,885,178 2,290,723 119,309Total Votes in Texas elections for the U.S. House of Representatives, 2002Result:17 Democrats15 RepublicansRedistricting TechniquesGoal: to minimize the impact of a particular political groupPacking: placing a large percentage of the group in question within one districtCracking: Splitting voters from one group into multiple districts“One Person, One Vote”Baker v. Carr (1962): Congressional Districts within a state must have approximately equal numbers of residentsReynolds v. Simms (1964): state legislative districts must follow the same rulesVoting Rights Act (1965)-Eliminated various barriers to minority voting-Originally aimed at African-American voters-Extended to language minority groups in 1975-Renewed on a number of occasions, most recently in 2006Preclearance: Until 2013, states and communities with a history of racial discrimination in voting were required to seek prior approval for changes to their election codes and district boundaries-Texas grew by 4.3 million between 2000 and 2010-Result: Granted 4 new Congressional Districts-Justice Department and Federal Court in San Antonio found that the new map was intentionally discriminatoryTypes of Elections-Primaries: In which a political party chooses its nominee-In Texas, a candidate needs to get a majority of the vote in the primary. If they do not, a run-off primary is held.-General Election: Candidates from competing parties square offShelby County (AL) v. Holder (2013)“Our country has changed. While any racial discrimination in voting is too much, Congress must ensure that the legislation it passes to remedy that problem speaks to current conditions.”~Chief Justice John Roberts“The Court's opinion can hardly be described as an exemplar of restrained and moderate decision making. Quite the opposite. Hubris is a fit word for today's demolition of the VRA… Throwing out preclearance when it has worked and is continuing to work to stop discriminatory changes is like throwing away your umbrella in a rainstorm because you are not getting wet.”~Ruth Bader Ginsburg2010 2008 2006 2004 2002 2000Texas 32.3% 54.4 30.9 53.7 34.2 49.2USA 40.8% 61.6 40.4 60.1 39.5 54.2Participation of Voting Eligible Population in Elections...2012 General ElectionOverall U.S. Turnout: 58.2% of voting eligible populationTexas Turnout: 49.7% of voting eligible populationOnly West Virginia (46.3%), Hawaii (44.2%), and Oklahoma (49.2%) had lower turnoutsMitt Romney (Republican): 4.5 million votesBarack Obama (Democrat): 3.3 million votesResult: 38 electoral college votes for Mitt Romney2012 Senatorial Election in TexasRepublican Primary (Run off)Ted Cruz: 631,316David Dewhurst: 480,161Ted Cruz (Republican): 4.4 million votesPaul Sadler (Democrat): 3.1 million votesElections in Texas-Almost every state-wide official is elected-A number of cities hold “off year” or even non-November elections-Arlington holds municipal elections every spring (current mayor Robert Cluck was elected with 7,800 votes in May of 2013)-Voting on Constitutional Amendments occurs during November of odd-numbered yearsResponses?Motor Voter Law (1995): Allows people to register to vote when getting a driver’s licenseEarly Voting: Makes it easier for people to voteFlorida: “Fair Districts” constitutional amendments adopted by referendum, with 63% of the vote in 2010California: Bipartisan “Citizens Redistricting