Redistricting and Texas Elections

• The role of voting is central to democracy and collective governance.
• Debates about electoral issues have been ongoing since the country's founding.
• Representative governments have become the norm.
• Elections are critical in society for retrospective and prospective judgment.
• Election cycles and campaign contributions follow a set calendar.
• Each state determines its own election processes.
• Laws determine which candidates receive contributions.
• There are specific election periods.
• Campaign donations play a role in elections.
• Eligibility to vote in Texas is determined by voter requirements in the state constitution.
• Voter registration and voter ID are required to vote in Texas.
• Voter disenfranchisement has historical roots in Texas
• Maintaining white social order was the aim post-Civil War.
• "Separate but equal" treatment.
• White Texans worked to entrench electoral rights.

Jim Crow Laws

• Racial segregation was imposed.
• The system was upheld by local officials.
• Laws limited interracial coalitions.
• Poll taxes were implemented.

The White Primary

• Known as "The White Man's Union Associations.”
• Defined as white primaries.
• Texas prevailed in various lawsuits related to this.
• Texas used to require owning property to vote.
• Owning property was later required to vote in bond elections.
• There was a history of resolute disenfranchisement of Black people.
• The Voting Rights Act was introduced.
• From 1982-2006, Texas led in violating Sections 5 and 2 of the Voting Rights Act.
• In 1975, Texas became subject to Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act.
• It took years for Texas to comply with bilingual ballot provisions.
• Texans with disabilities face obstacles to voting.
• SB 1 legislation further restricts voting rights for those with disabilities.

Legislation to Ease Voting

• Implemented motor voter registration.
• The Federal MOVE Act of 2009 was passed.
• The Help America Vote Act (HAVA) was enacted.
• Suffrage is defined as the right to vote in an election.

Women's Suffrage Movement

• The movement was a decades-long national fight.
• Early efforts were directed toward suffrage.
• The Texas Woman Suffrage Resolution was created.
• The 19th Amendment was passed.
• There was a Women-Only Supreme Court case, W. T. Johnson et al. v. J. M. Darr, et al.
• Miriam A. Ferguson and Wallace B. Jefferson were involved in the movement.
• Equal rights and the women's movement continue today.
• Black women were active in women's suffrage.
• Women's right to vote was recognized in the 1950s.

Civil Rights Movement

• The movement involved protests, demonstrations, and boycotts.
• The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was passed.
• The Voting Rights Act of 1965 was passed.
• The U.S. Constitution requires states to redraw congressional districts every ten years.
• Texas mandates redistricting of house and senate seats.
• Multiple types of districts exist.
• Redistricting is legally required to draw electoral districts which must happen every ten years.
• Redistricting is controlled by the party in power.
• The intent of the redistricting process is relevant.
• Gerrymandering is a part of redistricting.
• New political districts were drawn in 2020.
• Lawsuits were brought against the new districts.
• Civil rights groups sued Republican lawmakers over redistricting.
• In May 2022, the Supreme Court denied an emergency request related to redistricting.

Texas Elections

• Utilizes closed primary, open primary, and crossover voting systems.
• Each state schedules its own primaries.
• A general election involves competition between two parties' nominees.
• Local- and state-level elections are held.
• Special elections are held for many purposes.
• Texas dispenses with party primaries in special elections.
• Special elections often have Low turnout with a more conservative electorate.
• Straight ticket voting involves selecting one party's complete slate of candidates.
• That contributes to one-party dominance.
• Split-ticket voting involves splitting votes from different parties.
• Used by both Republicans and Democrats.
• Absentee requirements are strict.
• There are specific requirements for absentee ballots.
• Limitations on absentee ballots were unchanged even during the pandemic.
• There were reductions in ballot drop-off locations.
• In 2020, the Texas Democratic Party filed a federal lawsuit regarding absentee ballots.
• In 2021, Senate Bill 7 was introduced.
• Texas later passed Senate Bill 1.
• Voter registration surged throughout Texas prior to the 2020 election.
• 66% of registered voters cast ballots in 2020.
• Paxton was involved with the voting and electoral college.
• January 6, 2021, saw Paxton at the Capitol building attack.
• The Texas government rejects calls for online voter registration.
• In 2020, Texas was forced to provide it.

Online Voter Registration

• Supply chain issues arose.
• Online voter registration was seen as a solution.
• There are proposals to expand voting.
• Efforts are aimed to ensure non-purging of eligible voters.
• Ranked-choice voting (RCV) is another proposed electoral reform.

Explore redistricting legal requirements and gerrymandering practices. Understand the legal actions following the 2020 census redistricting. Learn about closed primaries, general elections, and special elections in Texas and their influence on voting outcomes.