Elections in Texas

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From 1836 to 1845, the Republic of Texas elected its own presidents. In 1845, it was admitted to the United States as the state of Texas, and has been a participant in every presidential election since, except for 1864 and 1868. Texas did not participate in these due to its secession from the United States to join the Confederate States of America on February 1, 1861, and its status as an unreconstructed state in 1868 following the American Civil War. [1]

Contents

Texas gubernatorial elections, as well as other state office races, are held every four years on the nationwide Election Day, which is the Tuesday after the first Monday in November. They are held on years that are even-numbered, but not multiples of four, also known as a midterm, so they do not coincide with the presidential elections. Texas Senate elections for half of the chamber are held every two years on Election Day, with all of the chamber up for election on cycles after major redistricting takes place. Texas House elections are held every two years on Election Day.

For about a hundred years, from after Reconstruction until the 1990s, the Democratic Party dominated Texas politics, making part of the Solid South. In a reversal of alignments, since the late 1960s, the Republican Party has grown more prominent. By the 1990s, it became the state's dominant political party and remains so to this day, as Democrats have not won a statewide race since the 1994 Lieutenant gubernatorial election. Texas is a majority Republican state with Republicans controlling every statewide office. [2] Texas Republicans have majorities in the State House and Senate, an entirely Republican Texas Supreme Court, control of both Senate seats in the US Congress. Texas is America's most-populous Republican state. [3] Many commentators had suggested that Texas is trending Democratic since 2016, however, Republicans have continued to win every statewide office, albeit by reduced margins, as it was the third-closest state Republicans won in 2020.

Texas was the first state to elect a woman governor, simultaneous to Wyoming in 1924 with the election of Miriam A. Ferguson.

In a 2020 study, Texas was ranked as the hardest state for citizens to vote in. [4]

Voting system and methods

United States presidential election results for Texas [5]
Year Republican  /  Whig Democratic Third party(ies)
No.%No.%No.%
2020 5,890,34752.01%5,259,12646.44%175,8131.55%
2016 4,685,04752.09%3,877,86843.12%430,9404.79%
2012 4,569,84357.13%3,308,12441.35%121,6901.52%
2008 4,479,32855.38%3,528,63343.63%79,8300.99%
2004 4,526,91761.09%2,832,70438.22%51,1440.69%
2000 3,799,63959.30%2,433,74637.98%174,2522.72%
1996 2,736,16748.76%2,459,68343.83%415,7947.41%
1992 2,496,07140.56%2,281,81537.08%1,376,13222.36%
1988 3,036,82955.95%2,352,74843.35%37,8330.70%
1984 3,433,42863.61%1,949,27636.11%14,8670.28%
1980 2,510,70555.28%1,881,14741.42%149,7853.30%
1976 1,953,30047.97%2,082,31951.14%36,2650.89%
1972 2,298,89666.20%1,154,29133.24%19,5270.56%
1968 1,227,84439.87%1,266,80441.14%584,75818.99%
1964 958,56636.49%1,663,18563.32%5,0600.19%
1960 1,121,31048.52%1,167,56750.52%22,2070.96%
1956 1,080,61955.26%859,95843.98%14,9680.77%
1952 1,102,87853.13%969,22846.69%3,8400.18%
1948 303,46724.29%824,23565.97%121,7309.74%
1944 191,42516.64%821,60571.42%137,30111.94%
1940 212,69218.91%909,97480.92%1,8650.17%
1936 104,66112.32%739,95287.08%5,1230.60%
1932 97,95911.35%760,34888.06%5,1190.59%
1928 367,03651.77%341,03248.10%9310.13%
1924 130,02319.78%484,60573.70%42,8816.52%
1920 114,53823.54%288,76759.34%83,33617.12%
1916 64,99917.45%286,51476.92%20,9485.62%
1912 28,5309.45%219,48972.73%53,76917.82%
1908 65,66622.35%217,30273.97%10,7893.67%
1904 51,24221.90%167,20071.45%15,5666.65%
1900 130,64130.83%267,43263.12%25,6336.05%
1896 167,52030.75%370,43468.00%6,8321.25%
1892 81,14419.22%239,14856.65%101,85324.13%
1888 88,42224.73%234,88365.70%34,2089.57%
1884 93,14128.63%225,30969.26%6,8552.11%
1880 57,89323.95%156,42864.71%27,40511.34%
1876 44,80029.96%104,75570.04%00.00%
1872 47,46840.71%66,54657.07%2,5802.21%
1860 00.00%00.00%62,986100.00%
1856 00.00%31,16966.59%15,63933.41%
1852 4,99526.93%13,55273.07%00.00%
1848 4,50929.71%10,66870.29%00.00%

To reduce the amount of time required to fill electoral vacancies, in special elections Texas dispenses with party primaries and instead uses a jungle primary system. Candidates of all parties (or no party) appear on the same ballot; if no single one of them receives 50 percent plus 1 vote, the two highest vote-getters also advance to a runoff irrespective of party affiliation. [6]

Texas has two uniform election dates, the first Saturday in May, and the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November. [7]

As of 2024, 99.5 percent of registered voters in Texas are in jurisdictions using voting methods with some form of auditable paper ballot, an established best practice for recounts and audits. [8] Just 0.5 percent of Texas voters use electronic direct recording electronic machines (DREs) without a paper record of each vote. [9]

Voting rights in Texas
Flag of Texas.svg
Map of USA TX.svg
Demographics
Poll taxesAbolished 1964
Literacy tests abolishedN/A
Minimum voting age18
Preregistration age17 and 10 months
Felon voting statusNo, unless sentence fully discharged or pardoned
Voter registration
Voter registration requiredYes
Online voter registrationNo
Automatic voter registrationNo
Same-day registrationNo
Partisan affiliationNo
Voting process
Polling place identification requirementsYes, 7 accepted forms of photo ID:

Texas Driver License

Texas Election Identification Certificate

Texas Personal Identification Card

Texas Handgun License

United States Military Identification Card containing the person’s photograph

United States Citizenship Certificate containing the person’s photograph

United States Passport (book or card)
In-person early-voting status17 days prior up to 4 days before
Out-of-precinct voting statusIn select counties approved by Secretary of State of Texas
Postal ballot statusLimited to those with one of 6 acceptable excuses:

65 years of age or older

Sick or disabled

Expecting to give birth within three weeks of Election Day

Absent from the county of registration during the Early Voting period and on Election Day

Civilly committed under Chapter 841 of the Texas Health and Safety Code

Confined in jail, but otherwise eligible.
Permanent list postal ballot statusApply yearly if disabled or 65+
Ballot collection statusHousehold member, relative, or lawful assistant
Straight-ticket device status no
Election method First past the post
Voter powers
Redistricting system Computer generated districts voted on by state legislature
Prison-based redistrictingYes
Ballot question rightsNo
Recall powersOnly local offices in Home Rule cities that have included recall in their charter
Federal representation levelState level

Voting rights and voter powers

Districting

Procedure

Texas uses an open primary for all partisan offices. Counties have a choice between separate or joint primaries. [10] In this system, voters may vote in either party's primary, without being affiliated with said party. Joint primaries take place at the same time and location, and voters must indicate to election staff which party primary they would like to participate in.

If there is a runoff election, voters may only participate in the runoff of the party they affiliated with in the primary. Party affiliation expires at the end of the voting year in which affiliation was established. [11]

Elections

General

Gubernatorial

Senatorial

Ballot propositions

See also

Further reading

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References

  1. "Texas secedes from the Union, Feb. 1, 1861". POLITICO. February 2018. Retrieved 2023-02-02.
  2. "GOP's Abbott wins 3rd term as Texas governor, beats O'Rourke". Associated Press . 8 November 2022.
  3. "Texas is Entering Third Decade of Republican Control". 23 November 2022.
  4. J. Pomante II, Michael; Li, Quan (15 Dec 2020). "Cost of Voting in the American States: 2020". Election Law Journal: Rules, Politics, and Policy. 19 (4): 503–509. doi: 10.1089/elj.2020.0666 . S2CID   225139517 . Retrieved 14 January 2022.
  5. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections - Presidential General Election Results Comparison - Texas". Uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved October 21, 2022.
  6. "ELECTION CODE CHAPTER 2. VOTE REQUIRED FOR ELECTION TO OFFICE". statutes.capitol.texas.gov. Retrieved 2023-02-02.
  7. "ELECTION CODE CHAPTER 41. ELECTION DATES AND HOURS FOR VOTING". statutes.capitol.texas.gov. Retrieved 2023-05-06.
  8. "Views on Election Integrity in 2020-22: GOP & Trump Voters". The Center for Election Innovation & Research. Retrieved 2024-09-17.
  9. "Verifier". Verified Voting. Retrieved 2024-09-17.
  10. "ELECTION CODE CHAPTER 172. PRIMARY ELECTIONS". statutes.capitol.texas.gov. Retrieved 2023-05-06.
  11. "Glossary of Elections Terminology". www.sos.state.tx.us. Retrieved 2023-05-06.