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This is one of several sets of slides that discuss political parties in
Texas.
This one is designed to discuss general features of the parties and provide an introduction to the rest.
What is a political party?
Here’s a reasonable definition: “A political party is defined as an organized group of
people with at least roughly similar political aims and opinions, that seeks to
influence public policy by getting its candidates elected to public office.”
Notice the major point: The chief goals of a political party is to win
elected office.
That’s how it seeks to influence public policy.
They are very similar to interest groups – which we cover elsewhere – because they are private organizations that attempt to influence public policy by organizing like
minded citizens.
But they are different because political parties actually run candidates for public
office while interest groups simply attempt to influence them.
Here’s a reminder of the definitions of “politics” offered
elsewhere in this class:
1- The authoritative allocation of values in society.2 - The struggle over who gets what when and how.3 - Intrigue or maneuvering within a political unit in
order to gain control or power4 – The art of what’s possible.
Parties attempt to organize groups in order to control governing
institutions so they can pass laws that reflect their values and
interests.
In this section we’ll look at the basic features of political parties, what functions
they serve and – primarily - provide specific detail about political parties in
Texas.
This section builds off the section on political parties in GOVT 2305. I’ll try not to
repeat too much material from that section,
so you might want to review that section, click here for it
.
Consider this section to be an introduction.
You might also benefit from looking through
this online chapter on political parties in Texas
.
Other slides about parties discuss the election code, the state and
county organizations, the temporary and permanent party
organizations, parties in the Texas legislature and the transition in
Texas from Democratic to Republican dominance.
Here’s a quick reminder of the place political parties occupy in the
federal system. Some of this material was covered in GOVT 2305, some in the introductory
slides in this class – 2306.
There is nothing in the U.S. Constitution about political parties other than an
indirect reference in the First Amendment:
Congress shall make no law . . . abridging . . . the right of the people peaceably to
assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.
That’s what political parties do. They organize candidates for
elective office. This allows supporters of the party to
dominate the policy making.
This is what has created incentives for party formation and
maintenance.
But the national government has very little authority over them.
There is no language in the Constitution that authorizes
Congress to pass laws related to how parties organize outside
Congress.
States do.
Since the U.S. Constitution reserves to the states that right to pass laws related to elections - and
parties are responsible for conducting elections – states pass
the laws related to parties.
Laws related to political parties in Texas can be found in the
Election Code, especially Title 10.
More on this in a separate section below.
Parties are effective ways of organizing political and governing
forces in order to achieve – or oppose – certain policy objectives.
By taking positions on different issues parties can allow people to identify with whatever party takes
the position they have taken.
They simplify the political process for people who are not attentive to
politics.
By identifying with a political party, a person can more efficiently make decisions about what policies and
candidates to support.
As discussed in GOVT 2305, political parties developed quickly in the first U.S.
Congress in order to help organize supporters and opponents of
Washington’s policies. These were – respectively – the Federalists and
Democrat-Republicans.
Their divisions were largely similar to the divisions between the supporters and
opponents of the ratification of the U.S. Constitution.
For example, in the 1840s the Democratic Party supported the
annexation of Texas while the Whig Party opposed it.
It’s little wonder the Democratic Party was dominant in the state for
many years after that.
Over the course of American and Texas history two large scale political parties –
since 1856 these two have been the Democrats and Republicans – have
dominated politics.
Others come and go, but only these two have grown to the point where they become integral part of not only the political process but of the governing
process as well.
In 2305 we mention that this is largely a consequence of the winner take all election
system which creates incentives for people to cluster their support around two large parties.
Smaller parties are – by definition – uncompetitive in this type of election, which means that the two major parties are best
understood as being coalitions of like-minded factions rather than solid groups.
This means that there can be – always is actually - conflict within
each party over what the party stands for.
Parties will take the positions of whichever faction within the party
happens to be strongest at a particular point in time.
The Democratic Party is generally composed of members of various racial
and ethnic minority groups, in addition to those who promote egalitarian policies
and a more tolerance to alternative lifestyles.
Tension can exist within the party general tensions between these groups.
The Republican Party is less racially and ethnically diverse – which can be an advantage
because it allows for greater solidarity – but conflict can exist between the business sector and those who promote a more conservative,
traditionalist social agenda.
Some argue that party should be true to a limited set of proposals and restrict
participation to those committed to those principles while others argue the party should
include more diverse views.
As mentioned earlier this semester, Texas had already been populated by people who were affiliated with the Democratic Party, and the
concept of Jeffersonian Democracy.
This was the political idea that governing institutions should be closely connected to the “people” – though it had to be understood that
the concept of “people” was very restricted.
To drive home a point:
Here’s a basic fact of political life in Texas.
It is dominated by two major political parties. They are the
conduit through which all meaningful political action flows.
The two major parties in the state are:
Texas Democratic PartyRepublican Party of Texas
Each party is also organized at the county and precinct level as well.
Parties are very decentralized entities, but this can help explain their effectiveness since they are
tied closely into local concerns and allow for grassroots participation.
For example, here are links to area county party organizations:
Brazoria County Democratic Party.Brazoria County Republican Party.Harris County Democratic Party.Harris County Republican Party.
In order to hold elective office in the state – and to have an influence in political in the state in general – one needs to be a member of one of these parties. This is not a legal requirement –
there are other political parties in the state, and one can be a member of any party or of no party
– but this is simply a reality of political life in Texas.
Parties dominate the political process, and for that reason they also dominate the governing
process.
This tends to be true for county positions also – people run for county office in the
state as a member of a political party, and the members of the Texas Democratic and
Republican Party are most likely to win. Those two parties have the organizational capabilities to organize and win elections.
Candidates for city offices – mayor, city council, city attorney, or
whatever elective offices a city decides to have – do not have party labels by their name.
They run as independent candidates, even though they tend
to have party affiliations.
A bit more on smaller parties.
They do exist, they just are not competitive. They tend not to be
able to win elections.
The smaller parties in the state include the following:
Constitution Party of TexasTexas Green Party
Libertarian Party of TexasReform Party of Texas
Socialist Party of Texas
Of these, the Libertarian and Green Parties can get a handful of votes in elections, but
generally the best they can do is draw enough votes from one of the major
parties to impact election results.
No Libertarian or Green Party member has ever won election to the Texas Legislature,
or to statewide or judicial office.
The Libertarian Party has a long history in Texas. Ron Paul – who
once represented the 14th Congressional District – ran as the Libertarian Party candidate for the
presidency in 1980.
But he switched to the Republican Party in order to win office.
The people who join smaller parties tend to do so because they are more interested in the
principles the parties stand for than the potential competitiveness of the parties.
While the Democratic and Republican parties also present a set of principles and policies, they
have the added advantage of providing to candidates a recognizable brand that voters
accept as legitimate and an organization that helps get them elected to office.
Smaller parties cannot offer that.
We will discuss the reasons for this elsewhere. Some of this has to do
with the very nature of winner take all elections which tend to lead to the development of two
large political parties.
Another reason is that the major parties get to pass the laws about
party organization.
They can pass rules that preserve their power.
One of the reasons Texas has a two party system – and why the
Republican Party now dominates – is because party members get
themselves elected to office and then get to make, implement and
adjudicate the laws related to political parties.
This includes laws related to registration, finance, redistricting
and all sorts of things.
We touch on these in the section on elections.
It should be noted that smaller parties have had an impact on Texas politics in the past.
We cover this material elsewhere, but an example is the Peoples Party which was a
populist organization that promoted agriculture and farmers. Other smaller splinter parties have
popped up whenever there has been internal dissatisfaction with one of the major parties. An
historical example is Texas Regulars. The Tea Party is a current example – though it really isn’t
a party. More on that elsewhere.
The lesson here is that if you want to be hold office in the state of Texas you should
be a member of one of the two major parties.
In the section on the temporary and permanent party organizations we discuss the ways that an individual can get active
in party politics.
Beyond that, it helps to be a member of the majority party – which in Texas is the
Republican Party. Since 1994, the Republican Party has held all state wide
offices in the state.
The term “statewide office” refers to those elected positions that represent the entire state, as opposed to those that represent smaller districts like the Texas House or
Texas Senate, or district judges.
The following are considered to be “state-wide offices”
All offices that are part of the plural executive, the Texas
Supreme Court and Court of Criminal Appeals, and the three members of the Texas Railroad
Commission.
All of these positions have been held by members of the
Republican Party since 1994 – we will go into reasons for this later,
as well as a discussion of the prospects for a resurgence of the
Democratic Party.
Since 2004, the Republican Party has also had a majority in both the
Texas House and Senate.
Elsewhere we discuss the tendency of Texas to be a one party state and try to determine why this is
the case.
Until the early 1960s the situation was reversed. The Democratic Party was the dominant party in the state –
so much so that there was little to no organized Republican Party in the state. Some sessions of the
Texas Legislature had no Republican members at all.
This explains why there is very little party organization in the Texas Legislature – though this can always
change. There was little reason for one to develop if everyone was a member of the same party. There were
internal disputes, but these were handled internally.
We can look at the eras of parties in Texas this way:
1845 – 1960: One Party Democratic Rule.1960 – 1994: Two Party Competition
1994 – present: Republican Dominance.
The previous material should give you a general idea about why
parties exist.
Let’s now turn attention to what they do.
Here are three:
1 – They provide means for people to participate in the political system.
2 – They structure and present the issues of the day to citizens.
3 – They provide the glue that connects government vertically (federalism) and
horizontally (separated powers).
Let’s look at the first:
1 - Parties provide means for people to participate in the
political system.
This claim supports the idea that political parties are central to democracy. It is the party that fosters political participation because it makes them more
competitive. Without viable parties there is little incentive to expand
suffrage, or encourage participation.
Supporters of political parties argue that they drove the
expansion of political participation and suffrage in the United States and are primarily responsible for
the development of democracy in the country.
Here’s a curve ball however.
It’s generally assumed that the two major parties in Texas have different incentives
when it comes to participation. Democrats do better when rates of participation is
high, Republicans do better when rates of participation are low.
They help people get registered to vote.
They recruit people to run for public office.
They organize election precincts.
They organize get out the vote drives.
Each state requires that eligible voters register prior to election day. Each state establishes its own rules. In Texas people have to be registered 30 days prior to an
election.
Registration rules of course are established by the state legislature, which responds to the wishes of the majority party. These can
be impacted by laws passed on the national level as well.
Registration is conducted by each county in the state, but parties and other groups get involved
in encouraging people to register. Each party attempts to ensure that potential identifiers –
those they think are most likely to vote for them – are registered.
The party with a higher percentage of its supporters registered to vote has an advantage over the other. Generally, the Republican Party
has advantages over the Democratic Party in this regard.
Controversially, parties might attempt to suppress registration among populations that are not
likely to support them.
Again, this is based on the idea that greater participation benefits Democrats more than Republicans
in the state.
Voter registration is officially overseen by the tax assessors
office in each county:
- Texas SOS: Voter Registration.- Harris Votes.
- Brazoria County Tax Assessor Collector.
But parties – especially county parties – and affiliated groups do
the leg work to ensure that supporters are registered to vote
prior to each election.
Parties are more likely to be successful if they recruit quality candidates to run for
office.
Each party is heavily involved in making sure their candidates have name
recognition and are well positioned to win. They also get involved in vetting
candidates – making sure that they have clean backgrounds and are committed to
the party’s positions on issues.
An example of a candidate recruited by the Republican Party
to run for office both for name identification and to appeal to Latino voters: George P. Bush.
Political parties allow candidates the opportunity to run with a label that grants them a degree of legitimacy
and indicates to voters a minimal level of information about them.
They also provide a network and organization that can assist with their
campaigns.
Before becoming getting on the general election ballot, one has to
get on the primary ballot.
This is where things get interesting.
From the Secretary of State’s Office:
Candidate's Guide to Primary and General Elections
From Ballotpedia:
Ballot access requirements for political candidates in Texas
See Title 9 of the Texas Election Code for Specifics on how to become a candidate for one of the major or
minor parties.
In order to be listed on the primary ballot for one of the two major parties - Democratic or Republican - a candidate must either collect signatures on a nominating petition or pay a filing fee to the county or state chair of the
appropriate party. The number of signatures needed and the cost of the registration fee vary according to the level of office being sought. –
Texas Politics.
Problem: Parties have little ability to directly control who runs for office under their label, or
the positions their candidates take.
There are incentives for candidates to take positions that the party stands for – it increases the chances that the candidate will be elected – but an individual candidate might stand for the specific policies promoted by a faction within
the party, rather than the party’s leadership.
For example, one of the current problems the Texas Republican Party faces is the conflict
between moderates and conservatives.
Conservatives commonly argue that moderate Republicans are RINOs (Republican In Name Only) that do not really support the party’s
positions, they only seem the party’s nomination so they can run on the party label.
Area Democrats have also has problems with candidates who do not adhere to the party’s policies.
Great example: Kesha Rogers
Even if one isn’t recruited to run for office, the political party allows
individuals the opportunity to throw their own hat in the ring and
decide to run for office themselves.
As we will discuss in several sections in this class,
the election precinct (sometimes called a voting precinct) is the
basic political unit in both Texas and the nation.
Each county is carved into a number of precincts. These help organize the
electoral process because it determines where one votes. We all live in a precinct
drawn up by county officials.
When you register to vote, you are notified which precinct you live in and where you
have to go on election day in order to vote.
Brazoria County is divided into 68 precincts.
Click here for the maps each precinct
.
The map is duplicated on the next slide.
You can find the sample ballots for the March 2014 primaries in Brazoria County here
.
Each precinct may have a precinct chair from each party that organizes party activities in that
precinct.
This becomes the fundamental unit of party governance. After each primary election, the
party chair organizes a precinct convention that allows party identifiers to participate in forming the party’s platform, influencing party rules and
selecting the party’s presidential candidates.
The major parties, over the many decades they have existed, have organized down to the precinct
level.
This is one of the many factors that grants the two major parties considerable
advantage over minor parties in the state.
County parties recruit supporters to serve as party chairs.
This is a key responsibility of the county parties.
For now its best to think about the fact that being a precinct chair allows people
the opportunity to get involved in the electoral process.
It can be a great first step in developing the connections that can lead to a
successful political career.
Each party – in cooperation with the campaigns of each candidate – organize
ways to ensure that registered voters who identify with their party are able to get to the polls. This can be done in a variety of
ways depending on which type of election the party wants to impact.
Here are a few examples:
Texas allows certain people – notable the elderly and
handicapped – the opportunity to vote by mail.
Click here for the application from the Secretary of State’s office. County parties encourage eligible voters to do so in order to increase
turnout.
For early voting and general elections, county parties and
candidates – with the assistance of precinct chairs – identify party
supporters that need help getting to the polls and do what’s needed
to get them there.
Here are three:
1 – They provide means for people to participate in the political system.
2 – They structure and present the issues of the day to citizens.
3 – They provide the glue that connects government vertically (federalism) and
horizontally (separated powers).
A political party can help simplify the political environment to those
who identify with that party. By identifying with a political party
one can simply adopt the positions promoted by the party.
Many people identify strongly with one or the other political parties. This can make it easier for people to make a decision about what’s going on politically because each party attempts to frame this for
their supporters.
This introduces the concept of party identification.
What percentage of people in Texas identify with the Republican
Party, or the Democratic Party?
Here’s a graph:
Trends in Party ID from Texas Politics
Click here for the Texas Politics section on Trends in Party Identification
.
Note that in terms of percentages both parties are relatively equal. The difference
is in turnout. The Republican coalition contains groups that are more likely to
vote than those that are part of the Democratic coalition.
Since Texas is not monolithic, party identification varies from region to
region.
Here is the breakdown in each county in the state.
Democrats are clustered in the major cities and in the counties
along the Mexican border.
Republicans dominate counties that contain suburbs and in the
rural areas.
It is simpler to figure out what news is important and what
opinion to have about them if one identifies with a party.
Independents have to figure this out on their own. Of course, that
might be a good thing.
They can also provide supporters with arguments in favor and
against different issues.
Example: What are the arguments for and against gun control? School
vouchers? Voter ID laws?
And of course parties can provide arguments for and against certain
people involved in the political process.
Generally these would be candidates for public office, but it
can include others as well.
Obviously this implies that independents will have a tougher time figuring out what to make of
the political environment since they do not identify with an
organization that provides cues for how to think about political issues.
A good way to figure out where the parties stand on different
issues is to look at each party’s platform. Here’s a quick look at
what’s in each party’s 2012 platform.
DemocratsRepublicans
3 – Parties provide the glue that connects government vertically
(federalism) and horizontally (separated powers).
A central theme in this class – as well as 2305 – is that government
in the US is very decentralized.
This occurs both horizontally and vertically.
Horizontal decentralization refers to the fact that governmental
powers are separated into three institutions that can then check
and balance each other.
This arrangement can create gridlock and make it difficult for
anything to get done.
Vertical decentralization refers to the fact that government is divided
into three levels: the national, state and local.
As we have seen before, coordination can be difficult in this
arrangement.
While there are benefits in these arrangements – the separated powers prevent the creation of
tyrannies and federalism divides governing authority along certain
levels of government – each makes the governing process more
difficult.
The most efficient governments are those that concentrate authority in a few hands.
Autocratic, unitary governments for example.
One of the reasons we might complain that our government can’t get things done is that in
many ways it is designed not to.
A key benefit of political parties is that they can provide coordination between
these institutions and levels.
If one party does especially well in a series of elections across each level of
government – which generally means that the general population supports their
policies more than the other – then the activities of each are more likely to be
coordinated.
Two concepts are important here:
Divided Government Unified Government
Divided government refers to periods of time when the parties only control one of the elected
branches – or at least the legislative and executive branches.
Unified government occurs when one party controls both the
legislative and executive branches, meaning that they can also
influence the judiciary as well.
It’s argued that unified government enhances democracy
because it allows for a clearer choice for the voters. It is easier
for voters to pin responsibility for what happens in government
when one party is in charge than if each is in control of one branch of
government.
Governing is argued to be easier in unified rather than divided government. Policies are easier to pass, and the agenda of one
party is easier to implement.
This is even easier to do if the same party that dominates the national government also dominates the state governments as
well.
In Texas its easier for parties to tie the three branches of government
together because all major positions in each are elected.
This gives the majority party the opportunity to control them all.
Texas has a history of one party rule.
From annexation to the 1970s – with the exception of Reconstruction – the
Democratic Party dominated elections. Since 1994 the Republican Party has dominated state elections and has
controlled the state legislature since 2004.
The design of the Texas Constitution allows the dominant political culture to dominate the
governing institutions. Texas government tends to be unified.
This is less the case on the national level. Since 1968, control of the national governing
institutions has been split. Congress tends to be controlled by one party and the presidency by another. Sometimes each chamber in Congress
is controlled by a different party.
But there can be tension between the state government and county and city governments – especially
in the larger ones – because citizens in larger metropolitan areas tend to vote Democratic.
This is enough to provide a basic look at what parties do, and which
parties exist in the state.
Additional material will be provided in upcoming slides
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