Every four-years we have one major election for a president, and every four-years we’re unsure of who will win. Different changes in the world, in America, and in Texas have a large effect on who will take office for those years. The same goes for local and state governments, as well. Electoral Rules and Socioeconomic changes make a rather large difference in who wins. All city and special district elections in Texas are nonpartisan, or not biased, elections. These elections have two negative consequences; voter turnout is low and people take it more personally and are less issue oriented. In Texas’ elections, there is less representation for ethnic minorities and the working class than there is for the rest of the population of Texas. With
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Every 10 years, after the census is taken, the state redistricts because of shifting in population within cities and between districts. It is a federal law that we must redistrict. Redistricting takes place in order to have nearly equal populations in each district. Shifting things around also helps raise competitiveness between the political parties and helps minimize the influence of minority voters. Throughout the history of Texas, Latinos have greatly helped raise the numbers of our population. In the 2010 census, Latinos were the main source of the state’s population growth. With the expansion of the Latino population in urban areas, the number of districts has also increased. Latinos result in a low voter turnout, though, which limits the number of Latino council members who are actually …show more content…
This means that council members are elected on a citywide basis. The majority of people in each electoral contest tend to be people from the city’s majority ethnic group. Generally speaking though, Anglos are usually overrepresented and ethnic minorities are underrepresented. SMD, or Single Member Districts, use a system where voters only cast a ballot for a candidate who resides within their district. Using this method, the chance of electing a Latino, African American, or Asian American, is increased. Out of the 25 largest cities in Texas, 20 have adopted the SMD or a mixed system of at-Large and SMD. The increased use of SMD has led to more ethnically and racially diverse city councils. 50 of the Texas local governments have used Cumulative voting to increase minority representation. When multiple seats are contested in an at-Large election, voters cast one or more of the allotted number of votes for one or more candidates in any combination. Candidates with the most votes are elected to fill the positions. Socioeconomic changes play another big role in who wins what. Texas’s increasing levels of urbanization, education, and economic development have the sate more economically, culturally, and politically diverse. These changes are reflected in local politics. Since the 1970s, South Texas’s majority Latino population has elected Latino leaders at all levels of politics and offices. Demands on local government and
Every 10 years, after the census is taken, the state redistricts because of shifting in population within cities and between districts. It is a federal law that we must redistrict. Redistricting takes place in order to have nearly equal populations in each district. Shifting things around also helps raise competitiveness between the political parties and helps minimize the influence of minority voters. Throughout the history of Texas, Latinos have greatly helped raise the numbers of our population. In the 2010 census, Latinos were the main source of the state’s population growth. With the expansion of the Latino population in urban areas, the number of districts has also increased. Latinos result in a low voter turnout, though, which limits the number of Latino council members who are actually …show more content…
This means that council members are elected on a citywide basis. The majority of people in each electoral contest tend to be people from the city’s majority ethnic group. Generally speaking though, Anglos are usually overrepresented and ethnic minorities are underrepresented. SMD, or Single Member Districts, use a system where voters only cast a ballot for a candidate who resides within their district. Using this method, the chance of electing a Latino, African American, or Asian American, is increased. Out of the 25 largest cities in Texas, 20 have adopted the SMD or a mixed system of at-Large and SMD. The increased use of SMD has led to more ethnically and racially diverse city councils. 50 of the Texas local governments have used Cumulative voting to increase minority representation. When multiple seats are contested in an at-Large election, voters cast one or more of the allotted number of votes for one or more candidates in any combination. Candidates with the most votes are elected to fill the positions. Socioeconomic changes play another big role in who wins what. Texas’s increasing levels of urbanization, education, and economic development have the sate more economically, culturally, and politically diverse. These changes are reflected in local politics. Since the 1970s, South Texas’s majority Latino population has elected Latino leaders at all levels of politics and offices. Demands on local government and