A Review of the Contemporary State of Texas Democracy
Democracy exists to give people powers to achieve what they cannot achieve individually. By selecting the ideal government, individuals place the burden upon the government to work out for their good. Representative democracy is an accurate representation if each citizen is allowed to vote in fair and open elections. The current day Texas, while boasting of being among the biggest democracies in the United States remains subject to scrutiny. While the founding fathers greatly worked to achieve a democratic state, modern-day citizens are less concerned about it. While voting continues to be an integral part of the democratic process, the number of people who participate in the voting process has been declining (Rhoda, 2019). The Texas Tribune describes democracy in the State as anemic. By comparing figures and historical voting patterns, a conclusion is reached on the nature of democracy in the State.
Pluralist Democracy in Texas
There is an element of pluralist democracy in Texas. In this case, various political systems hold power. An address of the same by the Texas Law review reveals the impact brought about by having several sources of power (Schleicher, 2017). The Texas law organizations reveal that second order elections which happen in both state and local elections merely reflect the voter’s preference (Rhoda, 2019). Based on the individuals that vote, it is possible to shift power to desired candidates. Moreover, candidates may be settled on based on their current performances or promises (Rhoda, 2019). The change means that it is possible to give credit to some candidates compared to others. Moreover, factors such as responsiveness of the voters, the respect individuals have for diversity, democracy laboratories and variation in voting patterns may possibly shift the voting powers (Rhoda, 2019). If either of this happens, there is proof that the State may be pluralist.
Hyper pluralism Democracy in Texas
Hyper pluralism is subtly felt in the democracy of the State. Currently, there are two major players, the democrats and the republicans. Each of the parties has a set of ideologies that it sells to the public (Robin, 2019). Based on the candidates presented, the political environment of the State and nature of national politics, either of the parties present a significant amount of force impacting on the functioning of the government (Schleicher, 2017). For instance, the current State of the nation in which a republican president holds power may be subtly impact on the performance of the governor who is also a republican (Robin, 2019). National and state politics present two opposing forces. The presence of two major political parties further enhances the hyper pluralism nature of the State.
Anemic State of Democracy
For a state to be declared a democracy, the element of free and open elections has to be felt. Moreover, a significant number of people have to take part in elections so as to represent the true will of the people. However, elections in Texas do not fulfill the second part of democratic elections (Ramsey, 2018). The number of people who turn up for voting is significantly low and therefore, it may not fully represent the will of the people. Ramsey (2018) described the low voter turnout as anemic. For instance, in the 2016 general elections, only 41 percent of people under the age of 35 participated in the 2016 general elections (Ramsey, 2018). 51 percent of people under the age of 35 were not even registered to take part in elections (Ramsey, 2018). A snapshot at Texas voter participation reveals that people aged 65 and above took part in elections, with 69% of the said population taking part in the voting process (Ramsey, 2018). The wide disparity between the ages of those who vote may bring about skewed presentation of democracy.
Conclusion
Voting and representative democracy in Texas may not represent the needs of the people. For elections, there are various forces in play. They include the political parties, the candidates, the rate of voter’s turnout and individual respect for diversity. Therefore, democracy in Texas is a combination of various forms of democracy. In it, there is an element of pluralist and hyper pluralist. Moreover, the voting pattern of the masses further complicates the nature of democracy in the State. Winners in elections may not represent the true will of the people. The anemic turnout confirms that democracy in the State is a combination of various forms.
References
Robin, J. (2019). What is the State of Our Democracy? https://spectrumlocalnews.com/tx/austin/untangled-with-josh-robin/2019/04/26/what-is-the-state-of-our-democracy–tx.
Schleicher, D. (2017). Federalism and State Democracy. Texas Law Review. https://texaslawreview.org/federalism-and-state-democracy/.
Ramsey, R. (2018). Analysis: The anemic State of democracy in Texas. The Texas Tribune. https://www.texastribune.org/2018/05/07/analysis-anemic-state-democracy-texas/.
Rhoda, F. (2019). New Poll Finds Texans Are Concerned About The State Of Democracy. Texas Standard. https://www.texasstandard.org/stories/new-poll-finds-texans-are-concerned-about-the-state-of-democracy/.