Search query: texas

Compared to other presidential elections, 2008 was an exceptional year in voter participation. Many states saw turnout records broken during the primary election season. Some analysts considered this a high point in our democratic process, but it was far from a trend setter. Historically, turnout in primaries and caucuses have always been low. The highest turnouts are typically during the years where the presidential races are most competitive, such as 1988 and 2000, but even then turnout is on

Texas has an open primary, but many people like to refer to it more as a semi-open primary. Voters don’t have to declare a party when they register to vote. They do, however, have to declare a party for the year if they want to vote in that year’s primary elections. Once a person chooses a party they cannot vote across party lines and, in the event of a runoff, they have to stick with the party. The current method in Texas strongly favors a two sided system. Texas is decidedly a partisan state,

Thursday night marked the first wave of preseason football games. With the start of a new season comes a flurry of fantasy football pools between offices, families, friends and strangers. And we figured, what about a spin? Fantasy politics. If you could assembly your ideal executive branch, regardless of party or political realities, who would you elect to serve as President, Vice President, Secretary of State and Secretary of Defense? (If you'd like to fill out your entire 14 person Cabinet r

Another week of the presidential campaign cycle, another wave of campaign ads hitting airwaves. The media teams of Obama for America and Romney for President have traded barbs all summer long, with no end in sight. Claims of dishonesty and distorting records are abound. The following is a compilation of the major campaign ads made by the Romney and Obama camps, so far. Most ads last around 30 seconds to a minute, and tend to exploit what we do not know. If we really want to dig deeper into the

Credit: NBC Latino Texas U.S. Senate candidate Ted Cruz has been added to the list of speakers for the Republican National Convention. GOP officials have confirmed that the Tea Party star will have a key slot during the convention. Ted Cruz, fresh off his runoff victory against initial favorite and establishment candidate David Dewhurst, is considered to have no real competition for Kay Bailey Hutchison’s Senate seat in the general election. Texas is decidedly a red state and statewide races a

While the War on Women and Chick-fil-A might be getting all the juicy headlines lately, there's another issue quietly smoldering in the background noise of this election season. It's buried under all the campaign rhetoric and doom-and-gloom forecasts about the economy.Our public libraries are not just threatened this election season. They're fighting for their lives -- and with them, the livelihoods and well-being of hard-hit communities all over the country. Library districts in California, Il

The Concerned American Voters (CAV) Super PAC is a newly formed PAC that "seeks to elect principled constitutionalists to public office." It's most notable supporters are Republican Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky, and Representative Justin Amash of Michigan, who boast in a recent email about their most recent successful victory in of helping Ted Cruz win his U.S. Senate primary in Texas. But this Justin Amash and Rand Paul PAC isn't going to operate like your typical multi-million dollar Koch-lik

Photo: Gage Skidmore Congressman Ron Paul (R-TX) is considered, even by his critics, one of the most consistent and outspoken advocates for personal liberty in the United States. Paul himself seems to acknowledge that his third and final presidential run will come to an end in August at the Republican National Convention in Tampa, FL. However, Ron Paul's delegates and supporters can still impact the RNC in a significant way, especially if their weathered determination and energy are any indicat

San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro, left, and his identical brother State Rep. Joaquin Castro. Credit: AP Photo The Democratic party announced their line up of speakers for the 2012 Democratic National Convention this week, which is shaping up to be quite a show. Among those scheduled to speak is San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro. The young mayor will deliver the DNC's keynote address, a coveted honor once bestowed upon rising party star Senator Barack Obama back in 2004. Politico compiled an inter

Photo: James Harris The battle raging between proponents of gay marriage and those in opposition to it have missed the mark entirely. This is not to dismiss the concerns of either side, but rather to illustrate that both are missing the forest for the trees. The issue being discussed should not be one of determining whose views win out and which politicians get to decide, but why politicians are given such power in the first place. While countless Americans stormed into Chic-fil-A restaurants