Texas Government
2306
Unit 3
Unit 3
1789 VOTING
REQUIREMENTS
(set by the states)
  White
  Male
  Property Owner
  Religious Requirements (in 7-8
states)
• Percent eligible to vote: 5%
VOTING REQUIREMENTS
TODAY
•
• 1.
U.S. CITIZEN
• 2.
AGE—18
• 3.
•
RESIDENCY REQUIREMENT
30 days in Texas
• 4.
MUST BE REGISTERED
Disenfranchised by
State Law
Texas Voter Turnout
How Texas Ranks
• Percentage of
Eligible Voters
that are
Registered to
Vote
• Texas is 41st
• Percentage of
Eligible Voters
that Vote
• Texas is 44th
General Elections Average
Turnout-1980-92
Turnout in State General
Elections-1990
Turnout –Presidential
Elections –1960-2004
(Percentage of Voting-Age Population Voting)
Voter Turnout-1962-2002
Nonpresidential Elections
Reasons for Low Voting
Turnout in Texas
  Traditionalistic Political Culture
  History of Being a One-Party State
  Socio-Economic Factors
– o Income
– o Education
– o Percent of Minority Population
  Bible-Belt Influence
  Past Voting Barriers
Voting Barriers in Texas
•
•
•
•
Poll Tax (1902-1966)
White Primary (1923-1944)
Restrictions on Military (until 1965)
Long Residency Requirement-State: 1
year & County: 6 months (until 1970-2)
• Property Ownership-Local & Bond
Elections (until 1969)
• Annual Registration (until 1971)
• Early Registration-Jan. 31 (until 1971)
NOMINATION PROCESS
•
PARTY CAUCUS
– Used from 1789-1830s
– Party leaders chose party candidates
•
PARTY CONVENTION
– Used from 1830s-1900
– Party delegates at party convention
nominated party candidates
•
PARTY PRIMARY
– States began using in early 1900s
– Voters chose party candidates
TYPES OF PRIMARIES
1
• CLOSED
Declare party affiliation when register
– Voters must vote in that party’s primary
OPEN
– Allows voter to vote in either party primary
without a party declaration
• BLANKET/MIXED
– Lists all candidates of all parties on one ballot
– Voters allowed to vote for only one candidate
per position, but may switch parties between
offices
TYPES OF PRIMARIES
2
• TEXAS TYPE
- Voters declare party affiliation on day of
party primary, not before
– Voters must then vote in that party’s
primary
• Is a type of closed primary BUT
operates more like an open primary
BALLOT TYPES
• ORAL BALLOT
– Voter gave candidate choices to election official orally
• PARTY BALLOT
– Ballots printed by each party listing only their party’s
candidates
– Ballots differed in length & sometimes paper color
• AUSTRALIAN (SECRET) BALLOT
– Ballots printed by the government
– Candidates of major parties listed on ballot
•
TWO BALLOT TYPES
–
• PARTY COLUMN
Candidates listed in columns by
party affiliation
• OFFICE COLUMN
Candidates listed/grouped by
office/position running for
Party Column Ballot
Office Column Ballot
TYPES OF VOTING
  Paper Ballots
• o Tabulation Errors
  Punch Card Ballots
• o Hanging Chads
  Voting Machines
• o Machines “Rigged” & Malfunctions
  Touch Screen Voting
• o Malfunctions & Lack of Paper Trail
  On-Line Voting
• o Hackers, Lack of Access by Poor, No paper trail
How the US Voted in
2004
How the US Will Vote 2008
EARLY VOTING
  Begins 17 days before the election
  Ends at end of 4th day before
election
Early Voting Timeline
•
• 60 days before Election Day-first day to
submit an early voting by mail application;
• 17 days before Election Day (12 days
for May election)-early voting in person begins;
• 7 days before Election Day-last day to
submit an application for ballot by mail;
• 4 days before Election Day-early voting in
person ends;
Election Day-marked early ballots by mail must
be returned by 7 p.m., unless mailed from outside the
United States.
EARLY VOTING BY MAIL
• You may vote early by mail if you are:
• Going to be away from your county on Election Day
and during early voting;
• Sick or disabled;
• 65 years of age or older on Election Day; or
• Confined in jail, but eligible to vote.
• Applications for a ballot by mail
• must be submitted to the early voting clerk on or after
the 60th day before Election Day and before the close
of business on the 7th day before Election Day. If the
7th day is a weekend, the last day to submit an
application is the preceding Friday.
EARLY VOTING BY MAIL
2
• If you are voting early by mail, you must
send your application by:
• Regular mail;
• Common or contract carrier; or
• FAX (if a FAX machine is available to the early voting
clerk and if you are submitting your application from
outside the county)
• Exception:
• If you are voting early because of expected absence,
you may apply in person for a ballot by mail before
the first day of early voting in person.
EARLY VOTING BY MAIL
3
• You may obtain a formal application
• from the early voting clerk in your county or from the
Secretary of State's web site at
www.sos.state.tx.us/elections/voter/earlyvoting.shtml
or toll-free at 1-800-252-VOTE (8683). You do not have
to use a formal application; however, an informal
application must be in writing and include:
– 1. your signature (or a witness' signature if you cannot
sign);
– 2. your name and the address at which you are
registered to vote;
– 3. the address to which the ballot is to be mailed;
EARLY VOTING BY MAIL
4
• The election date and for which election you are
requesting a ballot (for a primary election, you must
state the political party's primary in which you wish to
vote); and,
• A reason why you are eligible to vote early by mail (to
be eligible to vote early due to expected absence
from the county, your application must state an
address out-of-county to have your ballot mailed).
• The early voting clerk must receive your marked
ballot by 7 p.m. on Election Day.
• Exception:
– If you are mailing your ballot from outside the United States,
the early voting clerk must receive your
– ballot by the fifth day after Election Day. (You must mail it no
later than 7 p.m. on Election Day.)
CURBSIDE VOTING
 Don't even have to get out of the car.





Call ahead to notify the early voting clerk
that you want to vote from your car.
Is available to any voter who has difficulty
walking or standing for long periods.
Election official will bring your ballot to
your car
Curbside voting is available during early
voting & on Election Day
State and Federal law requires all early
and Election Day polling locations to be
physically accessible to voters with
disabilities
Federal Post Card
Application
The Federal Post Card Application (FPCA)
  is a form provided by federal law
  to permit members of the U.S. armed
forces and merchant marines, their
dependents, and U.S. citizens abroad to vote
early by mail and,
  if necessary, to temporarily register to
vote.
Federal Post Card
Application2
The Federal Post Card Application (FPCA)
• Who is eligible?
• You are eligible to vote early with an FPCA if you are
qualified to vote in Texas and you are:
• a member of the U.S. armed forces or the spouse or a
dependent of a member;
• a member of the U.S. merchant marines or the spouse
or a dependent of a member; or
• a U.S. citizen domiciled in Texas but temporarily
living outside the territorial limits of the United States.
CAMPAIGN FINANCE
REGULATION IN TEXAS
  Candidates must file reports with Tx. State Ethics
Comm.
 
Names of all donors $50+
  Candidates & PACs-no cash contributions of $100 or
more
 
No direct contributions from corporations or unions
  Sworn statements of contributions & expenditures
files with Texas Secretary of State
  Texas Ethics Commission=enforcer with criminal &
civil penalties
BALLOT ACCESS (FOR
INDEPENDENT & 3RD PARTY CANDIDATES)
• Candidates must file a petition with a specified
number of signatures of registered voters.
– a. Statewide candidates: 1% of the vote for governor;
– b. Multi-county candidates: to 3% of the vote for
governor;
– c. County or local candidates: 5% of the vote for
governor
• Candidates must gather signatures of registered
voters not voting in the primary elections of other
parties in that election year
• Parties whose candidate for governor received
between 1 percent of the total votes cast in the last
general election are exempt from the petition
requirement
To Be Listed on Ballot
The Texas Election Code provides three ways for names to appear on the
ballot.:
• A candidate desiring to run as an independent or third party candidate must
file a petition with a specified number of signatures of registered voters. The
number varies, depending on whether it is a state, multi-county, or county position.
• Statewide candidates must gather signatures of registered voters equal to
1% of the vote for governor; multi-county candidates must gather signatures
of registered voters equal to 3% of the vote for governor; county or local
candidates must gather signatures of registered voters equal to 5% of the
vote for governor. Only registered voters not voting in the primary elections
of other parties in that election year can sign the petition, a requirement that
eliminates many politically active citizens.
•
Write-in candidates must file as a write-in candidate and register with the
Secretary of State prior to the election for their votes to be counted. Their
names must be posted at the election site. Failure to register means a write-in
candidate can win the largest number of votes and cannot win! Parties whose
candidate for governor received between 1 and 19 percent of the total votes cast in
the last general election are exempt from the petition requirement and must
nominate their candidates in a party caucus or convention. Parties receiving 20
percent or more of the total votes cast for governor in the last election must
nominate their candidates in primary elections.