POSI- exam #4

what does the tx constitution include?

bill of rights, three branches, & amendment procedures

are state agencies appointed or elected?

both

how would minor parties have ballot access?

candidates can be nominated through a party caucus

what are the 5 methods of judicial selection?

partisan election, nonpartisan election, appointment by governor, appointment by legislature, merit plan

what type of judicial selection does tx use?

partisan elections

what type of gerrymandering is allowed? not allowed?

partisan, racial

what are the 2 components of party organizations?

permanent party organization & temporary party organization

what is the organization of the permanent party organization?

precinct chair --> county executive--> the state executive

what type of state constitution amendment method does texas not use?

voter initiatives

what factors decrease voting turnout in tx?

voter registration requirement, & incovinient scheduling

what does the governor's budgetary powers consist of? strong/weak?

weak: budget is NOT written by the Governor's office, but by the legislative budget board

what does the governor's power of appointment consist of? strong/weak?

weak: governor appoints some heads of agencies and some board, but has limited removal powers- can only remove their own appointees (requires 2/3 senate approval)

what does the governor's power over party consist of? strong/weak?

weak: in Texas, the Governor and their party are often at odds

what does the governor's judicial powers consist of? strong/weak?

weak: state judges are generally elected, not appointed; can't grant pardons

what influence does the speaker of the house have?

whether bills get passed

what type of primary does tx have?

open (no party identification needed, but only allowed to vote in 1 party's primary)

what seats in tx are mostly "safe seats"?

tx house & tx legislature

how would major parties have ballot access?

(Republicans or Democrats) must hold a primary election to select candidates

What are runoff primaries?

(a second election between the top-two vote getters) is required in Texas if no individual gets a majority in the primary

what are the 2 qualifications that districts must meet?

1. must have roughly equal population 2. you can't dilute the votes of racial minorities

what are the 2 different ways that state officials can be removed?

1. recall election 2. impeachment.

what are the 2 types of ways that state constitutions can be amended?

1. voter initiatives 2. proposals by state legislatures then ratified by the people.

how long are sessions?

140 days

how many members does the tx house have? how many terms?

150, 2-yr terms

what is teh salary of the tx governor?

150k/yr (+housing)

how many courts are there in texas judiciary & what are they?

2, texas supreme court (civil cases) & court of criminal appeals (criminal cases)

how many votes are needed to override a governor's veto?

2/3

how many trial courts does the tx judiciary have? how many levels of appelate courts?

3, 2

how many votes are required to bring a bill to the senate floor?

3/5

how many members does the tx senate have? how many terms?

31, 4-yr terms

what are the term lengths for trial court judges? what about appellate court judges?

4 yrs, 6 yrs

how many terms does the texas governor have? what is teh term limit?

4-yrs, no limit

how many eras of tx political parties are there?

5

what is the salary of the tx legislature?

7200/yr (+per diem & retirement benefits)

during the calender committee, where do major bills go to?

Calendars' committee (b/c expected to be controversial)

what are the 2 appeals courts of the tx judiciary?

Courts of Appeals & Texas Supreme Court and Court of Criminal Appeals

what are the 3 ways judges are removed?

Impeachment, Removed by the Texas Supreme Court, & District judges can remove the judges under their jurisdiction

in the past what were 4 of the voting restrictions in tx?

Poll taxes, Property qualifications, Women not allowed to votes until 19th Amendment (1919), White primaries (primary elections where the parties excluded minorities from voting. No longer permitted)

what are other 2 things that are elected?

Railroad Commission & State Board of Education

who are districts drawn by?

Texas legislature

what is the organization of the temporary party organization?

consists of a series of party conventions (caucuses) held in even-numbered years to elect members for the permanent party organization

What is the current constitution of TX?

constitution of 1876

what happens in conference action?

different versions of bill are reconciled

what are 2 other methods of political participation other than voting?

donations & compaigning

what increases voter turnout rate in tx?

early voting & voting by mail

Are judges elected or appointed in tx?

elected

how often does tx legislature meet? (senate & house)

every 2 years

how aften are elections held in texas?

every 2 yrs

When are general elections held?

first Tuesday after the first Monday in November

is half or the full house elected in tx every 2 yrs? what about the senate?

full house is elected, half the senate is elected

who can call special sessions?

governor

what are the 6 executive offices?

governor, lieutenant governor, comptroller of public accounts, commissioner of the general land office, attorney general, secretary of state

where does the lieutenant governor of texas's influence come from?

he rules of the Senate (which could be changed)

what way does tx remove state officials?

impeachment (not recall election)

how often must federal elections be held?

in even-numbered years in november

when are statewide offices in tx elected?

in midterm years

what are the 3 types of ballot access cases?

independents, minor parties, & major parties

what are the 6 steps for a bill to become a law?

introduction, committee action, calender committee, floor action, conference action, executive action

whow did the constitution of 1876 come about?

it was a reaction against the centralizing tendencies of the Constitution of 1869 (the "Carpetbagger's Constitution")

what are the minor courts of tx judiciary called?

justice of the peace/ municipal courts

what are the 5 powers of the texas governor?

legislative, budgetary, appointments, judiciary, & power over party

during the calender committee, where do minor bills go to?

local and Consent Calendars' committee

what are considered special elections? ( 2 examples)

local elections & elections to fill a vacancy

is the voter turnout in texas high or low?

lower than the national average

what are the 3 trial courts of the tx judiciary?

minor courts, county-level courts (3 types), & district courts

how many times has the tx constitution been amended?

more than 500 times

how must independents access ballots?

must file a petition with a specific number of signatures (for statewide office: 1% of previous vote for governor is needed)

what are 4 factors that contribute to voter turnout?

must register at least 30 days before election, need voter ID (It is possible to vote without a photo ID in Texas), Inconvenient scheduling, Early voting and voting by mail

has tx alwasy been a 2 party state?

no, has almost always been a one-party sate

which of the executive offices is not elected?

secretary of state,(it is appointed by governor)

what time of executive agencies does tx have?

single-head agencies, commissions/boards

what type of electoral system does the texas legislature have?

single-member district plurality system

what are the 2 leadership positions of the texas legislature?

speaker of the house & lieutenant governor of tx

what does the governor's legislative power consist of? strong/weak?

strong: legislative veto and line-item veto

what are 3 reasons for the weakness of parties nationally & in tx?

transition from labor-intensive politics to capital-intensive, secret voting, & progressive era changes (elimination of the spoils system, local politics became more nonpartisan, growth in popularity of primary elections)