2016 is a general election year. One person will be chosen as the next president of the United States, and several others will be elected to the U.S Senate, and the U.S. House of Representatives. It is the first time in the history of the United States that a woman has been nominated for the highest office in the land. Many issues have come to the forefront of this election year, and several will be considered in the coming months by all states. Texas is no exception. This paper will explain the system of the Texas legislature, the issues facing Texas voters, and explore the implications of the upcoming November elections.
It is important to explain the Texas legislative system, as it has implications for the November elections. The Texas legislation is bicameral. It consists of the Texas State Senate (upper chamber), and the Texas House of Representatives (lower chamber). The Texas Senate is comprised of 31 members and they are elected to a 4-year term. The House of Representatives is made up of 150 members, each serving a 2-year term. Half of the senators are elected in staggering years. That means that in this election year, 16 Senate seats will be considered. Because state representatives serve only two years, all 150 seats, prior to the primary elections, were conceivably subject to voter decision (many seats are uncontested this year, as discussed below). The governor of Texas is elected every 4 years, during the mid-term elections. There is no term limit for senators, representatives, or the governor in the state of Texas.
The Republican Party holds a “trifecta” in the Texas government as of now, in that the Governor is Republican, and the Republican Party commands the majority in both chambers. It will be impossible for Democrats to gain a foothold in the Senate, and nearly impossible in the House. Right now Democrats occupy only 11 seats in the State Senate. Of the 16 seats to be decided, this year, only 4 are contested. Thus, even if the Democrats were to win all 4 of those seats, they would still be at only 15 come January. Currently the Republican Party holds 99 House seats, and of those, 65 are uncontested. Ross Ramsey explains, “Democrats would have to net 22 seats now held by Republicans .and Democrats are running in only six of the open seats now held by Republicans.”
Another consideration is that the Texas legislative body meets are only once every two years. These sessions begin on the second Tuesday of January of odd-numbered years. The Texas Constitution limits the sessions to 140 calendar days. Because there was no regular session in 2016, there are no ballot issues to be decided by voters, at least on a state-wide level.
That does not mean that there are not controversial issues to be decided by voters this year in Texas, which will be reflected in those elected to office. The Republican Party of Texas, and the Texas Democratic Party have published their platforms for the upcoming elections. There are far too many issues to address in this writing, alone. The two parties agree on some of the issues, but are diametrically opposed on others. The parties agree on four basic issues facing the state. First, both parties agree on the subject of medical marijuana. Second, is the use of toll-roads. Next, is that of the Trans-Pacific partnership. Finally, both agree on this issue of campaign financing (Mekelburg).
The Texas Republican platform includes five top priorities. These “include repealing all licensing requirements for firearms, banning abortions, securing the Mexican border, calling for a convention of states to enact amendments limiting the power of the federal government, and replacing the state’s property tax system.” (Schneider). The Democratic platform “places democracy, education, jobs and the economy at the top of the party’s agenda” (Tilove). On the surface, these priorities do not appear to parallel each other, but all have been addressed in each of the parties’ platforms. The following examines some of the major contentions of the two parties.
One issue that may well dominate the next Texas legislative session is that of gun control. During its 84th session the Texas House and Senate passed a bill permitting the open carry of handguns. Governor Abbot signed the bill in June of 2015. The new las became effective January 1 of this year. This means that with a proper permit or license, a citizen may carry a handgun in plain sight, so long as it is holstered. The exceptions are that those areas designated as “gun free” prior to the legislation will remain “gun free.” This includes schools, courtrooms, and airport security areas (Aasen). Additionally, as of August 1, 2016, firearms may now be carried, if concealed, on public college and university campuses (Texas Department of Public Safety). Aasen adds that private colleges and universities are not required by the law to allow guns on their property. Conversely, the Texas Democratic Party is calling for the repeal of the open carry and campus carry laws and stricter enforcement of firearm background checks (Ramsey).
Another major issue is that of abortion rights. The Texas Democratic platform was formed prior to the U.S. Supreme Court’s June 27th ruling on Texas House Bill 2 (HB2), which was enacted in 2013. The Court held the law to be unconstitutional. The ruling dealt with two issues of the Texas abortion laws: the first mandating that physicians performing abortions have admitting privileges to a hospital in close proximity; the second requiring that abortion clinics meet the same guidelines as larger health care providers. While this would seem to be a victory for pro-choice Democrats in Texas, the Texas Republican Party’s number two priority is to abolish abortion in total (Schneider). Despite the Supreme Court ruling, anti-abortionists in Texas will likely continue to put up a fight. As Julie Rovner points out, “opponents remain in control of a majority of state legislatures and governorships, and that's unlikely to change following this year's national elections.” She adds that several states (including Texas) are in a position to enact laws prohibiting abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy. Other policies are being considered, as well, such as requiring women to undergo an ultrasound prior to obtaining an abortion, and banning the “abortion pill” (Rovner).
There is little question that gun control and abortion will be debated not only on a national level, but by many state legislatures as well. One issue that seems to be a bit more specific to Texas and some Western states is that of hydraulic fracturing (“fracking”) for oil and natural gas. In 2014 the city of Denton, Texas banned fracking. The state legislature then enacted law pre-empting municipalities from controlling the practice of fracking. The Democratic Party’s platform suggests that the party supports cities and towns to “regulate oil and gas operationsincluding bans on hydraulic fracturing” (Ramsey). On the other hand, the platform favors “The use and development of renewable energy, while recognizing the importance of the oil and gas industry and seek well-regulated fracking” (Ramsey). The Texas Republican Party platform calls for “Removal of Government Barriers including restrictions on: Drilling, production operations and transportation of petroleum products on public and private lands and waters” (Republican Party of Texas, 21).
There are countless other platform issues that were adopted by both parties. They range from education to same-sex marriages to taxes, Medicare and minimum wage. Some will be pursued more vigorously than others, and some will probably not be pursued at all. Both parties have made their voices heard. Just which issues take precedence should prove to be interesting. That being said, with the Republican Party most likely dominating the Texas legislature this next session, it stands to reason that those issues on which the party is strongly united, will be prioritized.
Works Cited
Aasen, Eric. “Here’s What You Should Know About Open Carry in Texas.” KERA News, 05 Jan. 2016, keranews.org/post/heres-what-you-should-know-about-open-carry-texas. Accessed 03 Aug. 2016.
Mekelburg, Madlin. “Platforms Reveal Common Ground Between Texas GOP, Democrats.” The Texas Tribune, 21 June 2016, www.texastribune.org//texas-gop-democrats-actually-agreAccessed 28 July 2016.
Ramsey, Ross. “Analysis: For Many Candidates, Election is no Contest.” The Texas Tribune, 18 Dec. 2015, www.texastribune.org//analysis-many-candidates-election-Accessed 28 July 2016.
--- “Analysis: Texas Democrats, in Their Own Words.” The Texas Tribune, 20 June 2016, www.texastribune.org//analysis-texas-democrats-their-ownAccessed 30 July 2016.
Republican Party of Texas. Report of the Permanent Committee on Platform and Resolutions as Amended and Adopted by the 2016 State Convention of the Republican Party of Texas, 14 May 2016 [PDF], www.texasgop.org//2016//PERM-PLATFORM. Accessed 31 July 2016.
Rovner, Julie. “5 Things to Consider about the Supreme Court's Decision on Texas Abortion Law.” npr.org, 01 July 2016, www.npr.org//5-things-to-consider-about-the-supreme-court-s-decision-on-texas- Accessed 30 July 2016.
Schneider, Andrew. “Texas GOP Platform Calls for Full Repeal of Gun Control, Total Abortion Ban.” Houston Public Media, 17 May, 2016, www.houstonpublicmedia.org//texas-gop-platform-calls-for-full-repeal-of-gu Accessed 29 July 2016.
Tilove, Jonathan. “Texas Democrats Approve, and Disapprove, Moratoriums on Fracking.” My Statesman- Austin American Statesman, 18 June 2016, www.mystatesman.com/news/news/state-regional-govt-politics/texas/nrjBp/. Accessed 01 Aug. 2016.
Texas Department of Public Safety. New laws for Handgun Licensing Program (Formerly known as Concealed Handgun Licensing). 2015-2016, www.txdps.state.tx.us//chl/legal/newlegislation.htAccessed 03 Aug. 2016.
