Momentum - Business to Business Online Magazine MOMENTUM August 2018 | Page 15

Taxing Matters
Straight Party Voting – Soon A Thing of the Past
By: Cheryl E. Johnson,
PCC Galveston Co.
Tax Assessor Collector
Straight-ticket or straight party voting is an option that allows voters to check a single
box to cast a ballot for every candidate from a single political party. Texas is one of
nine states that offer straight-party voting but 2018 is the last year that this option will
be available to voters thanks to passage of House Bill 25 in the last legislative session.
What will that mean to Texas politics and politicians in the future? What will the effect
be on time spent at the polls? Was this change truly based, as some conservatives
claimed, on a need for voters to be more informed or was it a move to end partisan
sweeps? Will this change truly result in better candidates being elected to office or will
it simply make political consultants rich as down ballot candidates attempt to spend their way into office, unable to benefit
from popular top-of-the-ballot races?
Although supporters claimed studies supported this change, no one has been produced a
single one. If we examine historical election results – locally and across the State – straight
ticket voting accounted for over 60% of total votes cast in Texas’ 10 largest counties in
Presidential election cycles over the last 10 years. And in Galveston County, the popular
TEA party sweep of 2010 would not have occurred without the benefit of straight party
voting. Between 61% and 62% of Galveston County voters cast straight party ballots in the
2014 Gubernatorial and 2016 Presidential elections, mostly in line with the 63% Statewide.
It is well known among political pundits that Democrats have been cleaning up in down-
ballot races in the State’s largest cities since 2008 but is that phenomena limited to
metropolitan areas? Galveston County is the 13 th largest of 254 counties with regard to
number of registered voters. Would this legislation better served voters as a local option?
Although there is growing concern about this change, it is not likely the 86 th Legislature will
opt to readdress this political hot potato with greater interest in high property taxes,
disaster planning and school safety.
As Voter Registrar, part of my job is to insure all eligible voters are registered. Although a
noble task, I believe all of us would be better served to focus on voter participation. Voting
is our civic duty just like paying taxes and serving on a jury to insure justice prevails – it just doesn’t seem to be much of a
priority when you examine the numbers. Spend some time examining the numbers below then, the next time you vote, take
a friend and a family member. We get the government we deserve.
MOMENTUM / August 2018
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