Everyone has heard the saying that everything in Texas is bigger and better. My hometown alone even made the Guinness World Record for the largest bowl of salsa. But the saying, “everything is bigger and better in Texas” is not the case when it comes to politics. I’m not saying that just because I’m a hardcore Democrat in a predominantly red state. I’m not saying this because it is true that I don’t agree with anything that Gregg Abbot has done or how Ted Cruz has represented Texas. No, I’m saying it because it’s true. By March of 2016, Texas was second from the bottom on voter turnout for the states that had already held their primaries. According to the secretary of state, this was the biggest voter turnout for the primaries ever - with 4.2 million voters casting their vote. That’s only roughly 21.5 percent of the eligible voting population. But Texas should be used to coming in second to last place because during the 2008 presidential general election we came in 47th place. In the 2012 presidential general election, we dropped to 48th place in voter turnout. For a state that has a lot of pride about everything being bigger and better, how does our political facts make you feel about our great state? We’re basically the worst. Texas did not just become one of the worst states at voting over night. It’s been this way for decades. That hurts whether you’re a Republican or a Democrat. We have the second most electoral votes (38) following California who has the most with 55. Why is Texas a non-voting state? It’s a combination of many things.
Texas has a historically low level of competition.
If candidates feel that the competition has little to offer, then funds won’t be spent to reach out and get the voters excited to vote. They will target the population that normally votes and no one else. No one will try and reach out to new voters because who cares that the candidate has “already won” so there’s no need for stirring up any commotion. No one makes the phone calls or knocks on the doors. The voters don’t even know there’s an election going on much less who’s running. So they stay home and don’t vote. Elections aren’t competitive because gerrymandered districts make for non-competitive races.
My vote won’t make a difference.
Many Texans don’t feel that their vote will make a difference. “My vote doesn’t matter. Texas is a Republican state and it’s been that way for twenty years and it’s not changing. One Democratic vote won’t make a change.” One vote might not make a difference, but all those people who say that their vote won’t make a difference would make a difference if they would just get out and vote!
Where do I register to vote?
Often Texans don’t know where to vote or how to vote. And once you figure out what you need to do then it’s a matter of actually registering to vote — picking the application up, filling it out, finding a stamp, mailing it in. It’s a hassle and we live in an age now where three minute videos become boring — what really makes anyone think people are going to out of their way to vote.
These are just a few reasons why Texas is a non-voting state. So, come on Texas!! Get up off the couch, get registered, and make the trip to your polling station! It’s your civic duty!! Make a difference because your vote does count! Let’s get the politics in Texas as big and better as everything else is. Plus who doesn't want a super awesome sticker? I know I do but I never get one because I always vote by mail. So go out and earn a sticker!!
