Question.1564 - Part I - students must gather information on voter registration laws from Texas and one other state. Your paper should discuss how the various voter registration laws may or may not impact voter turnout in each state, as well as, the outcome of the election. Part II - Civil society refers to voluntary participation by average citizens. It is thought that civil society serves two important functions in a democracy: 1) people learn how to organize, express their interests, and how to work with others to achieve common goals. 2) They also learn the lesson that the political process is equally as important as the immediate results. What role does voting play in civil society? What impact do your think stricter voting laws and lower voter turnout have on civil society? This paper should 3-5 pages, double spaced. If you use outside sources, be sure to cite properly.
Answer Below:
State Voting Laws Paper Aaron SowemimoUniversity of Houston-Downtown POLS 4307 Christina Hughes April 30th, 2024 State voting laws paper The registration process in Texas is a lot?simpler, wherein individuals should register to vote?with?a minimum of 30 days before the election.?In terms of eligibility considering Section 13.001, the individual should be a United States citizen but a resident of the county where they wish to apply?for; 18 years or older on election day, should not be convicted of a felony, or "?if so, have completed the terms of the jail sentence, probation or parole," and should not have been declared by a "court exercising probate jurisdiction to be either totally mentally incapacitate or partially mentally incapacitated without the right to vote" ("Voter Registration,"??n.d.). On the other hand, unlike physical appearance at the polling station, the individual can register in-person or by mail by?submitting the application?and also online by filling out the application through the online portal as mentioned in section 13.002; additionally, in Texas, individuals must register to vote at least 30 days before an election?("Voter Registration,"??n.d.). The state requires voters to present an approved form of photo identification at the polling place. A report by Tom Dart (2016) tends to criticize the voter's?Id?laws by arguing that they disproportionately affect the minority and low-income votes, particularly the SB14 law that?was imposed?as a measure to combat electoral fraud, which makes it harder?ground?more likely to lean Democratic to vote, with increase Hispanic population and other minority masses; 2016 had around 600,000 registered voters in Texas, and around 4.5% were lacking suitable ID's and district court handling this case ruled this law affected Hispanics, Black, and the poor people since the data assessed in the court concluded that low-income people were not able to own drivers licenses (specifically, people from rural areas) as they face arduous and costly trips to locations that issue acceptable application forms of identification to?be done.? In November 2016, since the issue was in court, the voters were allowed to cast their votes through ballot signing an affidavit that explained that they were unable to get valid IDs; such a complex procedure could further lower the turnout rate, particularly those belonging to the marginalized communities, that in the long could be taken advantage by political parties, which could be either advantageous or disadvantageous as people might lose interest in the partisans and find them less reliant on these marginalized groups for support (Dart, 2016).?? In comparison, California's voting registration laws are little people-friendly, wherein the voters can file registration within?a period of?15 days before the election day (McGhee et al., 2024). However, the state also?tends to allow?same-day registration at polling places under certain circumstances, calling it the "Same Day Voter Registration."? Under the law called California New Motor Voter (CNMV), DMV customers who are residing in California can also take advantage of the online applications and renewals of driver's licenses or state IDs with perquisite questions to complete the transaction, also accepting alternative forms of identification such as utility bills or bank statements as identification (McGhee et al., 2024). Although it could result in a higher voter turnout rate, the possibility of casting a fake vote is higher since the voter registration is strictly regulated as in Texas, but this?pools in a larger voting crowd due to the ease in the process, as seen in the data graph given below from 1980s to the early 2020s, there is around 10 to 12% increase the turnout rate, as the turnout rate increase the possibility of influencing the outcome of also increases and also?wider?representation of the electorate participation in the overall voting process (McGhee et al., 2024).? Source: (McGhee et al., 2024) Texas, being one of the states with a larger population along with New York, is the only state that?doesn't?have no-excuse absentee voting for everyone, wherein voting can be done by mail; Texas has no-excuse absentee voting for those 65 or older and also demands photo Id (Saldana, 2022). Nonetheless, despite stricter or less complex voter registration process, it tends to have a detrimental impact on marginalized people; it seems as though the laws and regulations?were drafted?majorly to suit the urban population, leaving out the marginalized?and?suppressing the diverse electorate participation without representing the masses.? In terms of discussing voting within the scope of civil society, the process of voting itself serves as a fundamental representation of democracy as it allows people to participate by expressing preferential choices, which contributes to the selection of the representatives that could draft the policies accordingly, in such a process citizen can learn the importance of civic engagement in terms of assessing the overall good for all stakeholder which will also include varied voices that would speak for the communities, it is more of an inclusive process that enables the stakeholders of a particular region to foster a sense of community and shared responsibility among citizens since only through collective decisions a larger good can?be achieved?that benefits the majority of the people at the same time it should not suppress the minority or leave them out of the society. Implementing stricter voting laws could have a grip over the urban population, but those?who are marginalized and have not benefitted significantly from the policies, specifically the rural population, might be pushed further away from the electoral process. As assessed in this discussion, stricter voting laws?pertaining to?voter ID mandates or limited registration options might undermine civil society by erecting barriers towards participation and disenfranchisement of certain groups, further widening existing inequalities in political representation and undermining the principle of equal participation in democracy. When a state or nation cannot sustain a good flow of voter turnout rate, it is heading towards either monarchy or becoming military-ruled jurisdiction since over-strictness could diminish the vibrancy of civil society by reducing the diversity of voices and perspectives in the political process and also weakens the sense of collective responsibility and mutual trust among citizens, as individuals may feel disconnected from the political system and less invested in working together for common goals. References Dart, T. (2016, July 20).?Texas voter ID law is discriminatory and must?change,?court rules. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/jul/20/texas-voter-id-law-voting-rights-act-federal-court-decision McGhee, E., Paluch, J., & Romero, M. (2024, March 22).?Do registration reforms add new voters or keep Californians registered?.?Public Policy Institute of California. https://www.ppic.org/publication/do-registration-reforms-add-new-voters-or-keep-californians-registered/ Voter Registration. Texas Secretary of State Jane Nelson | Voter registration. (n.d.). https://www.sos.state.tx.us/elections/vr/index.shtml Saldana, S. (2022, October 31).?How Texas voting laws compare to other states.?KERA News. https://www.keranews.org/government/2022-10-31/how-texas-voting-laws-compare-to-other-statesMore Articles From Political Science
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