Texas Politics Ch 5

Front 1

sound bite

Back 1

(A brief statement of a candidate’s theme
communicated by radio or television in a few seconds

Front 2

political action
committees (PACs)

Back 2

An organizational device used by corporations, labor unions, and other organizations to raise money for campaign contributions.

Front 3

Texas Ethics Commission

Back 3

A state agency that enforces state standards for lobbyists and public officials, including registration of lobbyists and reporting of political campaign contributions.

Front 4

Campaign Reform Act

Back 4

U.S.
Congress and signed by President George W. Bush in 2002, this law restricts donations of
“soft money” and “hard money” for election campaigns, but its effect has been limited by
federal court decisions

Front 5

soft money

Back 5

(Donations made to national political parties for federal election purposes.)

Front 6

hard money

Back 6

Campaign money donated
directly to candidates or political parties and restricted in amount by federal law

Front 7

super PACs

Back 7

Independent expenditure-only committees that may raise unlimited sums of money from
corporations, unions, nonprofit organizations, and individuals.

Front 8

Which state commission requires financial disclosure from public
officials?

Back 8

Texas Ethics Commission

Front 9

Latinos

Back 9

1)La Raza Unida Party. Founded in 1969 by José Ángel
2)Raul Gonzalez, Jr. (the first Latino elected to statewide officeTexas Supreme Court from 1984 until 1999)

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African Americans

Back 10

1)Justice Wallace Bernard Jefferson to the Texas Supreme Court in 2001
made him the first African American
2)tended to identify with the Democratic
Party

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Until 1990, however, only four women had won a statewide
office in Texas

Back 11

Miriam A. (“Ma”) Ferguson (1925–1927 and 1933-1935)

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Universal suffrage

Back 12

Voting is open for virtually all persons 18 years of age or older

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registration

Back 13

qualified voter must register with the county voting registrar, who
compiles lists of qualified voters residing in each voting precinct

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literacy tests

Back 14

Although not used in Texas as a
prerequisite for voter registration, this test was designed and administered in ways intended
to prevent African Americans and Latinos from voting.)

Front 15

grandfather clause

Back 15

(Although not used in Texas, exempted people from
educational, property, or tax requirements for voting if they were qualified to vote before
1867 or were descendents of such persons.)

Front 16

poll tax

Back 16

tax
levied in Texas from 1902 until a similar Virginia tax was declared unconstitutional in 1962;
failure to pay the annual tax (usually $1.75) made a citizen ineligible to vote in party
primaries or in special and general elections.

Front 17

white primary (

Back 17

nominating system designed to prevent African Americans
and some Mexican Americans from participating in Democratic primaries from 1923 to
1944.

Front 18

affirmative racial gerrymandering

Back 18

Drawing
districts designed to affect representation of a racial group (e.g., African Americans) in a
legislative chamber, city council, commissioners court, or other representative body

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at-large majority districts

Back 19

A district that elects two or more representatives.

Front 20

Federal Voting Rights Act of 1965

Back 20

Abolishes the use of all literacy tests in voter registrations
Prohibits residency requirements of more than 30 days for voting in presidential
electionsRequires states to provide some form of absentee or early voting
Allows individuals (as well as the U.S. Department of Justice) to sue in federal court to
request that voting examiners be sent to a particular area
Requires states and jurisdictions within a state with a significant percentage of
residents whose primary language is one other than English to use bilingual ballots
and other written election materials as well as provide bilingual oral assistance. In
Texas, this information must be provided in Spanish throughout the state and in
Vietnamese and Chinese in Harris County and Houston
Requires some states, such as Texas, to obtain preclearance from the U.S. Department
of Justice before changing any voting qualifications or prerequisites to voting
standards, practices, or procedures with respect to voting within certain jurisdic

Front 21

motor-voter law

Back 21

(Legislation requiring certain government offices (e.g., motor vehicle licensing agencies) to
offer voter registration applications to clients.)

Front 22

Voter turnout

Back 22

The percentage of the voting-age population casting ballots in an election.)

Front 23

Two Trends in Suffrage

Back 23

1)voting rights have
steadily expanded to include virtually all persons
2)movement toward uniformity of voting policies among the 50 states

Front 24

Texas Election Code

Back 24

(The body of state law concerning parties, primaries, and
elections

Front 25

Qualifications for Voting

Back 25

Be a native-born or naturalized citizen of the United States
Be at least 18 years of age on Election Day
Be a resident of the state and county for at least 30 days immediately preceding
Election Day
Be a resident of the area covered by the election on Election Day
Be a registered voter for at least 30 days immediately preceding Election Day
Not be a convicted felon (unless sentence, probation, and parole are completed)
Not be declared mentally incompetent by a court of law

Front 26

early voting

Back 26

Conducted at the
county courthouse and selected polling places before the designated primary, special, or
general election day

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qualifications can vote by mail-in ballot

Back 27

Will not be in his or her county of residence during the entire early-voting period and
on Election Day
Is at least age 65
Is, or will be, physically disabled on Election Day, including those who expect to be
confined for childbirth on Election Day
Is in jail (but not a convicted felon) during the early-voting period and on Election Day
Is in the military or is a dependent of military personnel and has resided in Texas

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voting precinct

Back 28

The basic geographic area for conducting primaries and elections; Texas
is divided into more than 8,500 voting precincts

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elections administrator (

Back 29

Person appointed to supervise voter registration and voting

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election judge

Back 30

Appointed by the county
commissioners court to administer an election in a voting precinct

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Voting Systems

Back 31

paper ballot, optical scan (similar to a
Scantron), and Direct-Record Electronic (DRE) also known as a touch screen

Front 32

independent candidates

Back 32

candidate who runs in a general election
without party endorsement or selection

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primaries

Back 33

(A preliminary election conducted within the party to
select candidates who will run for public office in a subsequent general election

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direct primary

Back 34

A nominating
system that allows voters to participate directly in the selection of candidates for public
office.

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general election

Back 35

Held in November of even-numbered years to elect county and state
officials from among candidates nominated in primaries or (for small parties) in
nominating conventions.

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runoff primary

Back 36

Held a month after the first primary to allow
party members to choose a candidate from the first primary’s top two vote-getters

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Four basic forms of the direct primary

Back 37

closed primary
open primary
jungle primary
Crossover voting

Front 38

canvasses

Back 38

To scrutinize the results of an election and then confirm and certify the vote tally for each candidate

Front 39

filing fees paid by candidates

Back 39

candidates for the office of U.S. senator
pay $5,000, and candidates for governor and all other statewide offices pay $3,750.
Candidates for the Texas Senate and the Texas House of Representatives pay $1,250 and
$750, respectively

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off-year or midterm elections

Back 40

A general election held in the even-numbered year
following a presidential election

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special elections

Back 41

An election called by the governor to fill a vacancy (e.g., U.S. congressional or state legislative office) or to vote on a proposed state constitutional
amendment or local bond issue.