Define ticket splitting and briefly explain the role it plays in Texas politics. How is ticket splitting associated with the realignment process? How has recent legislation impacted ticket splitting by Texas voters?
What will be an ideal response?
An ideal response will:
1. Define ticket splitting.
2. Explain the concept of realignment.
3. Explain that ticket splitting was an important part of the growth of the Republican Party in Texas. Individuals first began voting for Republican candidates for national offices while still voting for Democrats at state and local levels, then Republican voting expanded.
4. Explain that the prevalence of ticket splitting has declined (mostly as voters have moved toward straight-party voting for Republicans) but still helps explain greater Democratic success in local races than in other elections.
5. Explain that, after the 2018 elections, state legislation will eliminate straight party voting, so voters will have greater opportunities to split tickets as they cast their votes.
You might also like to view...
While Franklin Roosevelt waited to assume the presidency, Herbert Hoover tried to get the president-elect to cooperate on long-term solutions to the Depression because
a. he and Roosevelt had similar ideas on programs to combat the hard times. b. the Hawley-Smoot Tariff was up for immediate renewal. c. he hoped to bind his successor to an anti-inflationary policy that would make much of the New Deal impossible. d. he wanted to show how willing he was to cooperate with the political opposition. e. he hoped to avoid historical blame for failing to address the Depression.
How has the emerging idea of the “public as watchdog” impacted congressional oversight?
What will be an ideal response?