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Barriers To Voting In Texas Essay

646 Words3 Pages

There have always been barriers to voting in Texas. Some date back to the early 1900s. Historical obstacles like gender and race were very common back then. Women gained their right to vote after the Nineteenth Amendment, but politicians in Texas were against that. They argued that women could not perform up to their view of what qualifies someone to be a citizen. Joseph Weldon Bailey believed women’s morals would affect their beliefs. Minorities such as Latinos and African Americans also faced voting barriers. Influential political bosses had a massive influence on Latino voters. In 1923, African American voters were prevented from voting because of the white primary. Poll taxes were another historical barrier. Even though it was illegal by 1964, it was still legal in Texas. Poll taxes required voters to pay a small fee. This caused poor people to be able not to vote (Champagne, Harpham, Casellas 149). Fast-forward many years later, Texas still has voting barriers. Many cities have no individual districts, so the council members are elected at large. Limited polling places available and broken voting machines are contemporary voting barriers. Voters are also …show more content…

The most significant factors are income and education. There are high levels of poverty and low levels of education. Texas now has a younger population especially during the election of President Obama back in 2008 and 2012. Young adults vote in small numbers which are another factor to low voting participation. Texas also has a large Latino population, and some are not eligible to vote because they are not legal citizens or registered to vote in general. You also have to take in consideration of Texas’ political culture. It is traditionalistic and individualistic. Lastly, there isn’t enough media coverage and attention. Voters do not know much about the candidates running for these positions (Champagne, Harpham, Casellas

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