Texas Political System Analysis

Texas Citizens and the Political System

There are several key factors that affect politics in Texas. The economy, people, and the different regions play an enormous role in the states public policy. Political parties, interest groups, public opinion, elections and political culture are all of the things that make up the Texas political system. Political parties represent broad points of view that present people with alternative approaches to how the government should be run. Each party seeks political power by electing people to office so that its positions and philosophy become public policy. The basic purpose of parties is to win elections and to gain opportunity to exercise control over public policy. Some of these functions of political

Interest groups provide two indispensable ingredients, money and information. They attempt to persuade both the public and individual government officials to take a particular point of view on specific public policies. They also enhance democratic government by supplying information to citizens, contributing to debates about issues, getting people involved in politics and shaking up the established order by influencing institutions (Pg.73). Some people join interest groups to influence others, stature, money or some other benefits.

Public Opinion is citizens’ view on politics and government actions. It matters for three reasons: (1) citizens’ political actions are driven by their opinions, (2) public opinion helps explain the behavior of candidates, political parties, and other political actors; politicians look to public opinion to determine what citizens want them to do, (3) public opinion can also shed light on the reasons for specific policy

Organizing a precinct is an important way to participate in the political system through political parties. A person might choose to nominate someone or run directly for one of the many party offices. The first step to organizing your precinct is contacting and getting to know your precinct chairman. Election judges preside over polling places to ensure ballot security. Last but not least, you can support your party just by communicating, either talking to your neighbors, writing letters to the editor or opinion articles in your local newspaper, or e-mailing friends. These are just a few of the things that are the responsibilities of a citizen. Many people choose to exercise only a few of these actions. Texas is considered to be midpoint between the traditionalistic and individualistic political cultures. The states history with the slave-holding Confederacy tends to lean towards traditionalism, but its strong business orientation infuses its original culture with individualistic orientation (Pg.27). Texas has a reputation for its uniqueness and its residents are very loyal and patriotic towards the