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Texas Politics

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Texas is a state that has always been recognized for its size and politics. Elections are a huge part of democratic societies that are intended for citizens to choose their public leaders and approve the policies set by candidates. Political parties and interest groups also play a key role in shaping opportunities for public participation. Most Texans and historians know that the Democratic Party’s historical dominance is important to state politics. It is less likely that people are not aware of the consequences of the one-party system for public participation and democracy in Texas. Like many of the rim South states, the white elitist belonged to the Democratic Party which stemmed from the end of Reconstruction until the late 20th …show more content…

This single party dominance tended to limit the range of political debate, in turn constraining the evolution of the state’s political culture. Elections have gone through a huge set of changes over the last 40 years. With the barriers of all-white primaries, the poll tax and economic harassment it made the election process in Texas less democratic. While those barriers have been overcome, primarily through federal action, one-party’s persisted throughout the state making Democratic Party primaries more important than the November general election. From the Civil War to the civil rights struggles in the 1950’s and 60’s—which was an essential time when there was a systematic exclusion of Blacks and other minorities from political participation. As the effort to end the exclusion of minorities got underway, the party system that had been long dominated by the Democrats began to unravel. The civil rights victories in the 1960’s, especially the national Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965, helped set in motion a realignment of the two main political parties. (utexas) It is said that Texas has transformed into a two-party system that is very competitive. Today, the Republican Party holds all the major statewide offices and has held majority control of both chambers since 2003. However beginning in the 1950’s, conservative Democrats joined the growing ranks of Republicans in supporting Republican Party candidates for president. (Collier)

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