https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/early-voting-in-texas-begins-with-lines-strong-turnout/2018/10/22/47b2a256-d64c-11e8-8384-bcc5492fef49_story.html?noredirect=on&utm_term=.8f8233826113
Texas currently has one of the most watched races,
Republican incumbent Ted Cruz running against Beto O’Rourke.
When early voting opened on Monday the 22nd thousands of people came out to vote.
Harris County, includes Houston, had a record opening day with more than 36,000 votes cast.
Dallas county also has had almost record breaking voting. Counties all across the state reported
large amounts of votes that were double or triple the turnout for 2014, the last midterm elections.
Some counties are reported numbers that almost beat the first day early voting for the 2016 election.
One man even said that he voted for the first time after living in Texas for thirty years.
As we have learned in class and seen in many graphs the Presidential election always has higher
voter turnout than the midterm elections, so the fact that the first day numbers are almost higher
than the presidential elections is very unusual. Along with the high voter turnout there has been some
complaints about the technology and poll workers.
Texas currently has one of the most watched races,
Republican incumbent Ted Cruz running against Beto O’Rourke.
When early voting opened on Monday the 22nd thousands of people came out to vote.
Harris County, includes Houston, had a record opening day with more than 36,000 votes cast.
Dallas county also has had almost record breaking voting. Counties all across the state reported
large amounts of votes that were double or triple the turnout for 2014, the last midterm elections.
Some counties are reported numbers that almost beat the first day early voting for the 2016 election.
One man even said that he voted for the first time after living in Texas for thirty years.
As we have learned in class and seen in many graphs the Presidential election always has higher
voter turnout than the midterm elections, so the fact that the first day numbers are almost higher
than the presidential elections is very unusual. Along with the high voter turnout there has been some
complaints about the technology and poll workers.
- Who will win Cruz or O’Rourke?
- Why are more people turning out for this election than the last midterm in 2014?
- What is the importance of more people turning out?
Julia Maxwell
ReplyDelete1. I think that Ted Cruz will win the senator position because Texas is traditionally a very Republican state, and Ted Cruz being the Republican candidate has a better chance. Also because Cruz is the incumbent senator he has an advantage.
2. More people are turning out for this election than the last midterm in 2014 because the Republicans have the majority in the Senate at the moment. Because of this conservatives want to keep the Republican majority and reelect Cruz and the liberals want to have a democrat win so they can win back the majority. Many liberals have been frustrated with the Republican party having the majority in both chambers of Congress and have the presidency, so in order to make change happen they are voting.
3. It is important that more people are turning out because that means that the winner will more effectively represent what the population wants. It also shows that more people are showing interest in politics and wanting to participate.
Clara Kennedy
ReplyDelete1. I think it is most likely that Ted Cruz will win the race for senator in Texas. Not only is he the incumbent, but he is a republican running in a predominantly republican state. Additionally, the population that might be more likely to elect Cruz over O'Rourke historically has had better turnout in elections.
2. More people are turning out for this election in Texas than in the last midterm in 2014 because, in 2014, the senator race was not very competitive, with incumbent John Cornyn securing over 60% of the vote. This year, however, Ted Cruz has faced significant competition. As voters believe there is more of a chance to influence the election with their votes, more people are turning out to vote. Also, as democrats in Texas currently have no democratic senator and Republicans hold the presidency, Senate, and House, the democrats have greater turnout. In response to greater competition from democrats in the Senate race, more republicans are turning out for the midterm as well.
3. With more people turning out to the midterm election, it is more likely that the voting population will be more representative of that of the actual population. As a result, there is a greater chance that the elected officials will more accurately represent all of their constituents. Separate from representation, greater turnout is important in that it signifies that more people are taking an interest in government and care more about their country.
1. Since Ted Cruz is more talked about on the media, I think he will win senator for Texas. He has lots of media coverage, and he is an incumbent. Incumbents usually become relected especially because of how red the state is.
ReplyDelete2. More people are going to vote for this midterm more because this election is so competative. He is such a controversial figure and also senate races tend to be more competative. Also, this election is vital because it is after the 2016 presedential election so more people may want to vote to keep the Republicanism in Texas.
3. With more people turning out, more votes will be casted to make it more competitive. By making it more competative, usually the election will be close, but I think that more republicans will come out to vote because of their interest in the candidate to protect the seat of their incumbent Ted Cruz.
1. Cruz won because Texas is a strong red state and although Beto O'Rourke gained a lot of momentum, it was not enough to turn Texas blue. Cruz represents a lot of Texans with his traditional Republican values and also holds incumbent advantage.
ReplyDelete2. This election gained national coverage and was extremely competitive for a red state. O'Rourke put up a much better fight than Cruz's last opponent, and played on the fact that Cruz is disliked by a lot of voters both in Texas and nationally.
3. When more voters turnout, the candidate is representative of more of the population and their political views.
1) Texas is a traditionally conservative state and the polls stated that they were still leaning toward Cruz. Therefore Cruz will win Texas. While O'Rourke's campaign is symbolic of the change that is occurring in Texas there has not been enough change to truly get a democrat elected. Overall there is no way that Cruz can loose.
ReplyDelete2) Due to the countless controversies involving many high ranking members of the political parties of the United States of America, it becomes quite clear that those that feel like there has been no consequences for the parties actions used their right to vote to try and inspire change.
3) This is better because when more people turn out it gives a more accurate representation of the population. Additionally the more voters that turn out the less likely there is to be voter fraud because since there are so many votes the result will be that fraudulent voting will result in being less of a part of the voting process.
1. Cruz (hindsight 20-20)
ReplyDelete2. After 2016, I think a large amount of people realize how important it is to turn out for elections. In addition, I think that the unpopularity of the Republican controlled government is contributing to people showing up.
3. Democrats have a higher chance at winning.
1. Cruz wins because Texas is a large red state and he has incumbency status which is basically a win. Beto would not be able to turn the state in favor of his democratic beliefs despite the traction he gained.
ReplyDelete2. The election was very big and ended up being a much closer run considering it was in a very red state. Furthermore, people feel like they should show their opinion since there are so many high ranking republicans
3. Voter turnout is good because more people will express their opinion and will ultimately demonstrate what the population believes in and the political view of the U.S. on a more accurate scale
1. Although there was a drastic increase in Texas voting for a democratic candidate, it did not surprise me that Cruz won given the history of Texas as a conservative state. One election cannot flip the entire history of a state, but I do believe it is a step in a democratic direction.
ReplyDelete2. I believe the publicity of not only Cruze and O'Rourke, but also Trump affected the voter turnout in these midterms as opposed to in the passed. It seemed as though O'Rourke had a lot more popularity with the national population, so this would prompt people to vote as they feel there is a possible competitive midterm election.
3. Increased voter turnout allows a state to be much more representative of the entire state population. This allows opinion and results of the election to align more with what the people within the state or country truly want, rather than just a small powerful minority.
1. In my opinion, Cruz will win just based on the amount of Republicans in Texas. Although Democrats have been turning out to support O'Rourke, at this point in time there is still a Republican majority, and just based on that Cruz has a higher chance of winning.
ReplyDelete2. I think thanks to the state of the government in 2018, more people are becoming aware of political issues. Trump and company have created a lot of newsworthy incidents, and more politicians are beginning to use social media in an effort to connect to younger citizens. Because of this new publicity that politics and the government are receiving, more people are more likely to go vote in the midterm elections.
3. When more people turn out, the politician that ends up getting elected is more representative of what the people of that district, state, or country want. Because of this, the opinions of the people and government policies will be much more closely aligned.
1. I think Texas's conservative status and its consistency of being a red state points to the incumbent Ted Cruz winning this election. However, O'Rourke's increasing support by Democrats has been groundbreaking, I still think Ted Cruz will win.
ReplyDelete2. More people are turning out for this midterm election than 2014 since the race is so close. The large amount of publicity and media attention that this election is drawing is most likely convincing Texas Democrats to represent their candidate more so than in past years.
3. The more people that turn out for an election, the more representative the election is compared to the population. The election is much more likely to be competitive because both parties will be represented.
Who will win Cruz or O’Rourke?
ReplyDeleteWell, we now know that Cruz won, however, I believed in the predictions of most people that Cruz was going to win. Texas is still a red state. It is turning purple, but it has a long way to go. Plus, this is without considering a possible shift in Republican strategy or beliefs that might win back moderates leaning left.
Why are more people turning out for this election than the last midterm in 2014?
More people are turning out for this election than last midterm because of the polarization and intense controversy during the Trump presidency. Furthermore, efforts to reach out to voters for this midterm election are far greater than in previous midterm elections.
What is the importance of more people turning out?
The importance is that our candidates will better represent their constituencies and hopefully congress will be better representative of the US as a whole. Furthermore, the more people that vote, generally, the more competitive seats become. It could be an argument of chicken or the egg in that competitive seats draw more voters; but still, more people voting means that even people who have no chance of having their favorite candidate win, can have their voice heard and catered to.
1. I believe Cruz will win because he has the incumbency advantage and is a Republican running in a still very Republican state. O'Rourke is inspiring hope for Democrats in Texas, but the reality of the Republican majority in this state cannot be ignored.
ReplyDelete2. More people are turning out for this election than 2014 because of the retrospective voting that occurs during midterm elections, and Trump has raised enough controversy during his presidency so far to bring people to vote and reflect upon how they feel about his presidency. Additionally, the media is having an immense impact on the attention this race is getting, inspiring more people in the state to go out and vote.
3. People actually turning out at election time is extremely important because it leads to increased representation of the values of everyone in the state. This will hopefully lead to competition among the parties to actually earn their seats, and eliminate the notion that "I'm a Democrat in a Republican state, so my vote doesn't count" (the opposite scenario is currently the case in California).