Texas is the second largest and second most populous state after the state of Alaska among the fifty states that form United States of America (Young). It is geographically located in the southern part of the country and has an area of 268,820 square miles which is equal to 696,200 km2 and a growing population of over 26.4 million people. Texas has been a Republican Party dominated state but with time it can eventually become a democratic state (Lawrence). This change can be caused by the huge ongoing demographic transformation, change in the perception of Democratic Party, and the rising Hispanic population, African American, and Asian American wanting to vote.
Currently, the state is unlikely to change as a result of ignorance of the people at the time of election (Young). Texas is a majority-minority state with a large and a fast growing Hispanic population. However, an extremely low percentage of the population turns up to vote. The rate of Democratic voting among white Americans in Texas is low in a way that it contributes to a huge barrier in the overall voting results. The demographic change to a ‘blue’ Texas has not been able to deal with socioeconomics challenges facing the state (Lawrence). Income and education remain the strong predictors of participation. African-American and Hispanic are associated with a high likelihood of poverty and lower educational achievement in Texas and across the country. This has led to even lower political participation. Racial and ethnic minorities lack access to the resources that facilitate participation and contribution in public life. These factors further contribute to the voters not to fully participate in voting as expected.
Many white Americans still support the Republican Party maintaining the party stronger than the Democratic Party. The most recent American Community-based research shows that thirty one percent of voting-age comprises of Hispanic but only twenty six percent of them are eligible to vote (Lawrence). This percentage can change if the government allowed more Hispanic population to become legal American citizens. If the situation remains as it is right now, only thirty percent of Texas Hispanics might be eligible to vote by 2024. It will be unlikely for Democrats to emerge as the winner of Texas as the Hispanics will still represent about one-third of the people entitled to vote. The Hispanic population in Texas is underrepresented politically weakening the Democratic Party (Young).
Lawrence recent research shows that Hispanic voters in Texas are significantly less likely to be contacted by a political campaign, party, or community organization unlike the Hispanic voters from other states in the 2012 election season when Barak Obama was reelected as the president. Other states, such as Mexico supported demographic transformation which led to a high growth of the population in voting and political participation. The Mexicans and Dominican Americans, who are minorities, now support the Democratic Party (Lawrence).
Young identified that there is a huge gap between those who qualify to vote and those who participate in voting in Texas. The state has more than five million people eligible voters but they are unregistered. Only about sixty three percent of eligible African Americans, forty two percent of eligible Asian Americans, and thirty nine percent of eligible Hispanics voted in the year 2012 (Lawrence). In addition, the gap is also enlarged by the same factors that may be depressing turnout in other states, including the lack of strong party competition and weak voter mobilization efforts. Lawrence suggests that the Democratic Party should ensure civic education is conducted across Texas on the importance of voting and political participation. The government should also make efforts to ensure that minority populations acquire legal citizenship (Young).
Works Cited
Lawrence, Regina. Lawrence: shifting demographics and Texas politics. The Texas Tribune, 27 July 2013. Web. 22 Oct. 2014. <http://www.texastribune.org/2013/06/05/guest-column-shifting-demographics-and-texas-polit/>
Young, Michael. Despite national political clout, Texas is a loser in voter turnout. DallasNews, 14 July 2012. Web. 22 Oct. 2014. <>
