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Elections in Texas

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]

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

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United States presidential election results for Texas[5]
Year Republican / Whig Democratic Third party(ies)
No.  % No.  % No.  %
2024 6,393,597 56.05% 4,835,250 42.39% 177,339 1.55%
2020 5,890,347 52.01% 5,259,126 46.44% 175,813 1.55%
2016 4,685,047 52.09% 3,877,868 43.12% 430,940 4.79%
2012 4,569,843 57.13% 3,308,124 41.35% 121,690 1.52%
2008 4,479,328 55.38% 3,528,633 43.63% 79,830 0.99%
2004 4,526,917 61.09% 2,832,704 38.22% 51,144 0.69%
2000 3,799,639 59.30% 2,433,746 37.98% 174,252 2.72%
1996 2,736,167 48.76% 2,459,683 43.83% 415,794 7.41%
1992 2,496,071 40.56% 2,281,815 37.08% 1,376,132 22.36%
1988 3,036,829 55.95% 2,352,748 43.35% 37,833 0.70%
1984 3,433,428 63.61% 1,949,276 36.11% 14,867 0.28%
1980 2,510,705 55.28% 1,881,147 41.42% 149,785 3.30%
1976 1,953,300 47.97% 2,082,319 51.14% 36,265 0.89%
1972 2,298,896 66.20% 1,154,291 33.24% 19,527 0.56%
1968 1,227,844 39.87% 1,266,804 41.14% 584,758 18.99%
1964 958,566 36.49% 1,663,185 63.32% 5,060 0.19%
1960 1,121,310 48.52% 1,167,567 50.52% 22,207 0.96%
1956 1,080,619 55.26% 859,958 43.98% 14,968 0.77%
1952 1,102,878 53.13% 969,228 46.69% 3,840 0.18%
1948 303,467 24.29% 824,235 65.97% 121,730 9.74%
1944 191,425 16.64% 821,605 71.42% 137,301 11.94%
1940 212,692 18.91% 909,974 80.92% 1,865 0.17%
1936 104,661 12.32% 739,952 87.08% 5,123 0.60%
1932 97,959 11.35% 760,348 88.06% 5,119 0.59%
1928 367,036 51.77% 341,032 48.10% 931 0.13%
1924 130,023 19.78% 484,605 73.70% 42,881 6.52%
1920 114,538 23.54% 288,767 59.34% 83,336 17.12%
1916 64,999 17.45% 286,514 76.92% 20,948 5.62%
1912 28,530 9.45% 219,489 72.73% 53,769 17.82%
1908 65,666 22.35% 217,302 73.97% 10,789 3.67%
1904 51,242 21.90% 167,200 71.45% 15,566 6.65%
1900 130,641 30.83% 267,432 63.12% 25,633 6.05%
1896 167,520 30.75% 370,434 68.00% 6,832 1.25%
1892 81,144 19.22% 239,148 56.65% 101,853 24.13%
1888 88,422 24.73% 234,883 65.70% 34,208 9.57%
1884 93,141 28.63% 225,309 69.26% 6,855 2.11%
1880 57,893 23.95% 156,428 64.71% 27,405 11.34%
1876 44,800 29.96% 104,755 70.04% 0 0.00%
1872 47,468 40.71% 66,546 57.07% 2,580 2.21%
1860 0 0.00% 0 0.00% 62,986 100.00%
1856 0 0.00% 31,169 66.59% 15,639 33.41%
1852 4,995 26.93% 13,552 73.07% 0 0.00%
1848 4,509 29.71% 10,668 70.29% 0 0.00%

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
 
 
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 statusno
Election methodFirst past the post
Voter powers
Redistricting systemComputer 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

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Districting

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Main article: Redistricting in Texas

Procedure

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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

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General

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Gubernatorial

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Senatorial

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Ballot propositions

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See also

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Further reading

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  • Nina Perales; Luis Figueroa; Criselda G. Rivas (2006), Voting rights in Texas, 1982-2006 (PDF), Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, OCLC 837607742
  • Nick Corasaniti; Stephanie Saul; Patricia Mazzei (September 13, 2020), "Big Voting Decisions in Florida, Wisconsin, Texas: What They Mean for November", New York Times, archived from the original on September 13, 2020, Both parties are waging legal battles around the country over who gets to vote and how

References

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  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.
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