Texas has the second highest population of all states in America. Yet, if you look at the people that consistently vote, you would think that Texas has a tiny population. The proportion of voters in Texas is much lower than most of the other states in the United States. For some reason, this is not an issue to most people. However, the apathy towards government in a majority of the population is quite alarming.
When people choose not to vote, they break the American system. America's government is predicated on the idea of the government powers receiving feedback from the population through popular sovereignty. When Texans neglect their duty as citizens to vote, they choose to let higher powers go unchecked. Not only that, but the small minority that participate heavily in Texas politics have a very large influence with no responsibilities to the public whatsoever.
One argument that many Texans make is that Republican values are too entrenched for voters to feel like their votes to make a difference. What they forget is that the population of Texas is constantly changing due to migration from other states as well as other countries. This should shift the balance of power between the two parties. Voting in primaries is another way to influence the political scene, as the primaries decide important aspects of the political parties.
There are so many different obstacles to hurdle when it comes to apathy about the government. There is no quick fix. Making people care about something is never easy. While emphasizing government in public education systems is a good start, results have not been too favorable. While definitely not an ideal situation, maybe the only way to jolt the public awake from their deep sleep of apathy is for the government to something so unpopular and controversial that a major public backlash would ensue, sparking an interest in local and state government as a defense mechanism towards the government. While that may never happen, a recovery from political apathy may be nonexistent as well.
3 comments:
I really enjoyed reading your article. You're article couldn't have been more true and it's a shame more people don't go vote. I posted a blog of my own in response to your recent blog, building off some of the points you made and attempting to take a look at deeper issues to the problems you mentioned and possible resolutions for the future. Check it out if you get a chance!
http://lonestarstateandlocalgovernment.blogspot.com/2013/07/wheres-texas-exceptionalism.html
In case the link doesn't work, my blog page is Lone Star State and Local Government.
I strongly agree that without the majority of Texans voting the idea of representation isn't what it should be. It is important for those eligible to vote to do it in order to get the representation that the people of Texas want and need. I think you made a great statement about people feeling as if their vote doesn't really make a difference because Texas has really strong Republican values. Like you said, the population in Texas is constantly growing and the state is becoming very diverse. With diversity comes different values which means not all votes will be casted by Republicans.
Political apathy is a major issue in Texas that needs to be addressed in order for the government to properly represent the ideologies of the people that inhibit our state. With a growing population and a changing demographical make-up of Texas there is a wide variety of political influences that are brought into our state as well. According to the Texas Secretary of State Website, in the 2012 Presidential election there was a turnout of 43.73 percent of the Texan voting age population compared to the national number of 58.2 percent. With such a low voter turnout this should raise concern for every individual participant in government which includes everyone that is eligible to vote. Unfortunately this is not the case and hundreds of thousands of political opinions are not voiced causing the small minority of voters to control the decision making in our government.
I agree that many people are apathetic and uninformed when dealing with political votes and governmental issues. I am amazed at the number of people that say Texas will always be a red state and they will not cast their opposite vote because it will not make a difference. If people were to voice their opinions in the form of a vote, especially with the overwhelmingly changing demographic in Texas, there may be a change that represents the population. Change does need to occur but it is a very difficult and rigorous process that needs a major event to evoke to cause a difference in our political environment.
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