W6 Voting and Elections Intro to American Gov

Slides for Intro to American Government, Voting and elections module.

1. Welcome to POLS 2305 Efrain molina , ba

2. Elections

3. Chapter Objectives: Image courtesy of Ebrahim under CC BY-SA 4.0 Explain the purpose, utility, and effectiveness of campaigns Explain the key elements of caucuses and primary elections and their function in the modern party system Explain the types of primary elections Identify and explain the different methods of counting votes in elections and their advantages and disadvantages Define and explain gerrymandering and its role in American politics Explain the significance of voter turnout and factors in turnout Define and explain the function of the electoral college and how it works

4. What is political participation? Joining civic groups. Student Government. Attending school board meetings. Providing political funding. Becoming a candidate. Protesting? What defines political participation? Voting/suffrage.

5. Introduction People can influence politics in many ways: writing letters, promoting a candidate, donating money, etc. However, elections are the most important and direct way to do so. Politicians only listen when their job is on the line. Similar to other aspects of politics, elections are also affected by technology. Fixed terms for Congress and the Presidency.

6. Voting in Context In Antiquity and until the Middle Ages, decision making was a process controlled by a select few . This changed very slowly. When the U.S. was founded, only a few had the right to vote. Slowly, the U.S. enfranchised people and allowed them to vote.

7. The Vote in Ancient Greece Around 500 B.C. Only for free males. Sortition. Ostracism.

8. The Vote in Ancient Rome In Rome, citizens voted for public office as early as 300 B.C Elected magistrates presided local assemblies. The Senate advised or voted on issues. Originally, imperial power was held here.

9. Parliament of England County representatives elected as early as 1250s Property freeholders. Representatives could be summoned by the King to serve in parliament.

10. Cortes de Leon In Leon (Spain), the emergence of powerful nobility will force the Kingdom to set up a parliamentary institution. Here, members of the nobility will advice the king on how to act. This type of institution also emerged in Aragon.

11. Intro The U.S. Constitution talks about elections in essence but not in form . Art. I, Sec. 2-4 and Art. II, Sec I provides most regulatory powers to states. However, the Texas constitution clearly contains the right to vote in Art. 6 The history of the right to vote in Texas is the history of an expanding right .

12. U.S. Constitution Art I. Section 2 The House of Representatives shall be composed of Members chosen every second Year by the People of the several States , and the Electors in each State shall have the Qualifications requisite for Electors of the most numerous Branch of the State Legislature. Section 4 The Times, Places and Manner of holding Elections for Senators and Representatives, shall be prescribed in each State by the Legislature thereof; but the Congress may at any time by Law make or alter such Regulations, except as to the Places of chusing Senators. Section 5 Each House shall be the Judge of the Elections , Returns and Qualifications of its own Members, and a Majority of each shall constitute a Quorum to do Business; but a smaller Number may adjourn from day to day, and may be authorized to compel the Attendance of absent Members, in such Manner, and under such Penalties as each House may provide.

13. New Claims will arise. Women will demand a Vote. Lads from 12 to 21 will think their Rights not enough attended to, and every Man, who has not a Farthing , will demand an equal Voice with any other in all Acts of State. It tends to confound and destroy all Distinctions, and prostrate all ranks, to one common Level . John Adams, 2 nd US President 13 Restrictive Beginnings

14. Rise of Mass Democracy Early voting is a franchise . In early US history, most state constitutions had reserved political rights to just men who held a specific amount of property . This started to change as ambitious citizens began questioning this notion. In 1792 Kentucky entered the Union allowing every adult male to vote . In 1796 Tennessee became a state, providing suffrage to every male over twenty-one who paid a small tax . Other western states followed suit, including Ohio (1803), Indiana (1816), Illinois (1818), and Alabama (1819).

15. Rise of Mass Democracy Threatened by mass exodus , many of the states soon allowed the popular vote. By 1840, almost 90% of white men could vote in local, state, and national elections. But ordinary citizens did not usually get elected. This is because early U.S. political was transactional. Voting rolls massively increased with European Migration in the late 1800 s Votes are exchanged for favors. Offices are used to reap benefits.

16. Rise of Mass Democracy Businessmen took office and steered funds toward their pet projects and entrepreneurs lobbied for legislative support through kick-backs . To facilitate this process, they organized and mobilized average voters into cohesive political groups — factions or parties . Membership in political organizations rose dramatically during the 1820s. T he expansion of suffrage was limited to white men . William “Boss” Tweed

17. During much of the period preceding the Civil War, the Federal Government left voting regulations largely to the states. This changed after the Civil War . Southern states ratified the amendments but created a series of voting barriers. In this context, the Federal government regularly sued southern states to force them to respect voting rights. This is best exemplified in Supreme Court Cases and the Civil Right Acts . Rise of Mass Democracy

18. Elections…elections…elections… By many accounts, the U.S. has the most elections in the world. At the federal level, we elect members of the Congress, Senate and the President.

19. It’s All About The Count! Elections depend on how the ballots are counted. Runoffs and Ranked elections occur at the state level. Voters choose the candidate they want to win, and the candidate with the most votes wins the election. Candidates must win a majority of votes. Therefore, in a multi-candidate race, where no candidate receives 50% +1, the top candidates are placed on a new ballot in a runoff election. Runoff Election Voters go to the polls and instead of casting one vote for one candidate, they rank the listed candidates according t o their preferences. Ranked Choice Voting or Instant Runoff Voting First Past the Post

20. General Elections General Elections -elections that give voters the chance to decide which candidate wins office. States have various rules about voting , but they must abide by the Constitution and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. General elections are where voters vote for candidates; however, they may also vote on other items as well.

21. Congressional Elections These are supposed to be the most representative at the federal level. All citizens can participate. Every two years for representatives. Every six for Senators (33 or 34 running every two years). Every four for Presidents.

22. General Elections In general elections , held in November , voters cast ballots to select public officials. In some states, officials are elected in nonpresidential election years . Local elections usually take place at a different time of year than the national and state elections. These elections are “ nonpartisan ” in that candidates’ political affiliations are not listed on the ballot.

23. Congressional Constituencies Richard Fenno saw elections at four levels Geographic. Re-election. Primary. Personal

24. Districts There are 435 congressional districts and 50 states - these are the electoral districts for members of the House. Each state has two State-wide Senators. Districts vary wildly in terms of many variables - urban/rural , income , education, race and ethnicity, geographic size, etc. Not diverse in terms of race and gender. Different personalities. Some are Politicos , others are more interested in people . Most are always campaigning . Senators have longer terms which allows them to not campaign as much.

25. The person in congress…. Mayhew describes Members of Congress as " single-minded seekers of re-election ." Their main goal is re-election. Congress as a whole is a job machine. How many people work in Congress? Most members of Congress have to respond to their donors and parties. The main incentive for members of Congress is maintaining a life of privileg e.

26. Types of Election: Primaries Primary Election: an election in which each party selects its nominees for office. Primary elections are the first elections held in an electoral cycle. Open Primary: primary allows voting in either, but not both, primaries. Closed Primary: an election in which only voters registered with a party may vote for the party’s candidates

27. Types of Primaries Primaries look and feel like general elections to voters, but only one political party is represented on the ballot. In closed primary states, voters must indicate a political party on their voter registration in order to participate in that party's primary. In open primary states, voters may choose the party primary in which they vote. Since states regulate elections, some party primaries may only be open to those registered to the party, while other states open primaries to all registered voters.

28. Vangela Churchill Michelle Vallejo John Villarreal Rigney Monica De La Cruz

29. The California jungle primary

30. Primaries and Conventions

31. State Caucus Less popular candidates with low ratings start dropping out. This happens because they lose support from donors. Donors stop contributing to less popular candidates . This allows stronger and better funded candidates to continue. Campaigns are so expensive that without donors, candidates will start to suspend their campaigns.

32. The National Convention The Culmination of campaigning. Conventions mark the end of the primary phase and the beginning of the general election phase. Most are symbolic and are about marketing the candidate at the national level. Normally there is a clear winner. However, during these events, delegates get to cast their vote . Some politicking goes on , but this is becoming rare.

33. Presidential Elections

34. Electoral College: The Basics The Presidential election happens at the state level. Each state has as many votes in the Electoral College as they have U.S. Representatives and Senators. Texas has 40 votes (38 House members and 2 Senators), while small states, like Wyoming only have 3 votes. A total of 538 votes, the winner must have 270 . Except for two states, plurality winners are given all state votes ( Maine and Nebraska ). When no candidate gets 270 votes, the election goes to the House of Representatives, where each state, regardless of size gets one vote.

35. Electoral College?? Voters in the US vote for the president indirectly, meaning voters vote for electors . Electors are real people. People who pledged to vote for a particular candidate. Each party selects a slate of electors for their state. The party that wins the election in that state gets to use this slate to then vote at the Electoral College. Qualifications of Electors They may not be current federal officeholders or candidates, and they cannot have fought a rebellion or insurrection against the United States.

36. Electoral College?? Originally, it is believed that the founders wanted people to vote for electors. The goal of having this intermediary institution is to have an elite opinion (informed opinion about candidates). This has changed with technology and political news. Some ballots early in the country's history actually had the electors names on the ballots rather than candidates, and others listed both the names of the candidates and the electors. When we vote for President, we are really voting for a slate of electors.

37. The Electoral College The system is “ winner take all .” If candidate A wins the popular vote of a state, he or she wins all of the electoral votes of that state. The Electoral College has 538 electors; this number is based on the number of members of the entire Congress, meaning 435 members of the House of Representatives + 100 Senators. Per the 23 rd Amendment, the District of Columbia is also included, which adds an additional 3 electors or 538 electors in all.

38. Faithless Electors Electors are not required to vote for the candidate that won the state - and in several instances, they haven’t. We call these faithless electors. The state of Washington assesses a fine to faithless electors. In Chiafalo v. Washington (2020) the Supreme court found that this is the complete jurisdiction of states . The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that states may pass and enforce laws that force electors to vote for the popular vote winner in their state. It is expected that states will start to pass laws to punish faithless electors. This means the Electoral College will merely be a "rubber stamp" for how the voters in the state voted.

39. Faithless Electors Bill Greene – Texas Elector in 2016 Presidential Election Voted against Republican party , instead voted for Ron Paul Aimed to challenge the unconstitutional expectation of “Faithful Electors” Rogue Texas elector explains decision to back Ron Paul | The Texas Tribune

40. Why did the framers adopt the Electoral College System? Congressional Vote Fear of Widespread Democracy Electors as Public Trustees Better Balance Between Large and Small States Slavery States as Elector-States Among the framers, the idea of allowing congress to elect the President was very popular. However, some worried it would be counterproductive to the idea of democracy Some founders did not trust democracy and feared the impact of an uninformed electorate . The electoral college provides a safety mechanism to prevent a dangerous but popular candidate from being elected. Electors are supposed to be people who are trusted to represent the needs of the public , and they were expected to be well-informed elites who could safeguard the needs of the people The electoral college still keeps less populous states relevant in the election because of the winner take all system. It is possible to win the popular vote and lose the electoral vote . So one cannot simply carry the areas of high population and ignore other sections of the country . While this may magnify the votes of people in less populous states, it preserves the ability of the republic to take account of their concerns. (think, Texas-Wyoming. Texas is 60 times larger than Wyoming but only gets 13 time more MC) This is most likely the major reason for the adoption of the electoral college. At the adoption of the Constitution, slave states knew that the counting of 3 out of every 5 slaves for the purpose of representation helped to overrepresent the slaveholding South and give it an electoral advantage to protect the institution of slavery. Notice that the South seceded after the United States was able to elect a President without a single Southern vote . The original compromise of Federalism is that states would retain the ability to control the federal government. An immediate manner in which the Federal Government could be controlled is by allowing states to directly cast their “ state vote ”

41. Early voting Presidential years

42. Term Limits After the 22 nd amendment, presidents can only serve two terms. There are positive and negative aspects to this. States are free to enact term limits on state offices. Governors are subject to state laws. The map shows term limits for governors. Should term limits exist?

43. Age Limits Non for members of Congress. However, states can also impose them. North Dakota recently passed an amendment forcing Members of Congress by age 81. It will certainly be challenged in court? What is the problem?

44. Factors behind voting Education Age Income Race Ethnicity Gender

45. It’s All About Voter Turnout!!!!! Voter Turnout Voter turnout is a critical factor in any election . What are the factors that influence voter turnout? Education -educational attainment is the most important predictor of voting. People with more educational attainments vote more than those with lower educational attainments. People with higher educational attainments are more politically informed , and they tend to see voting as part of their civic duty.

46. It’s All About Voter Turnout!!!!! Voter Turnout Voter turnout is a critical factor in any election. What are the factors that influence voter turnout? Race and Ethnicity -Traditionally, minorities have lower voter turnouts. Why? Voter exclusion techniques Lack of minority candidates on ballots This trend is changing more and more due to an increase in all minority groups .

47. It’s All About Voter Turnout!!!!! Voter Turnout Voter turnout is a critical factor in any election. What are the factors that influence voter turnout? Age is an additional key factor that influences voting. Trend: Older people have higher rates of voter turnout than younger voters .

48. Voting Barriers

49. The not-so-secret vote.. For most of U.S. history, voting was a transactional affair. Workers voted for business or labor bosses in exchange for work or other concession . Often workers were directed how to vote . Pre-printed or marked ballots were usually used in elections. They allowed watchers to keep an eye on the voter. In 1949 Texas enacted the Secret Ballot System. This secret method of voting is called the Australian Ballot .

50. The Australian (Secret) Ballot

51. Voting Barriers: Hispanics Many Hispanic Tejanos were disenfranchised after Texas became a state. Laws favored only Hispanics that had supported Texas independence bid. Hispanic communities were highly cohesive , homogenous and flourished near locations with work opportunities. In Southern Texas, most labor was managed by local bosses . Often the vote was completely controlled by local bosses. Pacts between political bosses were common.

52. In South Texas, when the local “ jefe ” was feeling generous, “goat barbecues” were used to treat the next day’s voters. ……………When he was not, “he kept tight control by distributing pre-marked ballots to the mostly illiterate voters and assigning rifle-toting . . . guards to assure compliance.” Cal Jillson, Texas Politics

53. Voting Barriers: African Americans The XV Amendment , 1870, prohibited the denial of the vote based on race. Southern Reconstruction Constitutions extended full voting rights to African Americans. Voter intimidation was common after the Civil War. The rise of the KKK was protected by state governments.

54. Women in elections Slim precedent of women voting in New Jersey in the 1700s Women gained the Federal right to vote in 1920 with the 1 9 th Amendment. Because women often lacked a steady income, paying Poll Taxes was especially hard. Urban elites in Houston, San Antonio and Dallas become politically active in the late 1890s. Schooling, Religious education, relief work, urban regulation . Texan women leaders become nationally recognized.

55. Voting Barriers Voting Registration. Originated as a backlash of an increasing number of Eastern European Migrants in Northern States . Registration was limited to a few months . This favored people who knew about politics. It put political elites at an advantage. It also meant that laborers had to make time to register.

56. Poll Taxes After 1903, voters had to bring a numbered poll tax receipt to the polling place where it would be attached to their ballot. In today's money, the poll tax amounts to $55.00 They payment was per election. All past elections were retroactively payable . In 1964, 24 th Amendment outlawed Poll Taxes in Federal Elections. Texas ratified the Amendment until 2009

57. Voting Barriers White Primaries For long, the Supreme Court allowed racial discrimination in certain private industries. Because parties were initially understood to be private clubs, they were allowed to discriminate. 1906, the Texas Democratic Party held its first white primary. This lasted until 1927 when the Supreme Court heard Nixon v. Herndon (1927) . Violates the Fourteenth Amendment However, in Grovey v. Townsend (1935), the Supreme Court moved to allow the practice. in Parties are private-voluntary institutions. Smith v. Allwright (1944). The state cannot delegate power to the Democratic Party. Delegation of powers allowed discrimination.

58. Political rights are one of the most basic forms of citizenship. Should felons lose their right to vote? Should the punishment match the crime? Restrictions on felons

59. Gerrymandering: A Bizarre Configuration

60. Gerrymandering: A Bizarre Configuration Gerrymandering -drawing voting districts in unusual (bizarre) configurations in order to apportion voters in a manner that favors a political party’s voting base. In the illustration to the right, Columbus, Ohio, has a larger concentration of Democrats than Republicans. (Democratic candidates enjoy more urban support.) However, voters of Columbus are split so that the city lies in three different Congressional districts, placing Democratic voters of Columbus into districts where they are outnumbered by Republican voters in the outlying suburbs. Even if all of the votes are counted, the configuration nullifies Democratic support. Important Takeaway: Congress reapportions itself every ten years following the decennial census. Parties try to strategize how districts are configured to benefit them so that the party retains its seats.

61. Districts must be as fair and compact as possible 5 Districts can be carved out here.

62. How Effective are Campaigns? Political parties assist in the campaign process. Interest groups endorse and fund candidates . People work on campaigns. How effective are campaigns? Regardless of time and resources, campaigns have minimal influence on election outcomes due to pre-selected bias. Pre-selected Bias -the phenomenon where early on voters identify candidates with whom they agree or support candidates from their party. However, millions are spent swaying undecided voters.

63. How Effective are Campaigns? How do candidates succeed? Candidates have to win voters who are undecided or scantly bonded with the opposing party in order to win. Candidates may try to move a voter from the opposing party by focusing on key issues. Campaigns solidify the support of party members (party in the electorate) to vote for party candidates. Campaigns get party members to donate money and time to the party or campaign. Image courtesy of Amos Currier in the Public Domain.

64. Campaign Strategy Remembers some states are Red and some are Blue . These means that some states are hard to win. For instance, Texas which is a historically conservative state presents an especially hard state for Democrats to win . This may encourage them to campaign in other states. This is because they may see money spent in Texas as a waste. They may also believe that Purple states (states that sometimes are won by a different party) are a better investment.

65. Strategic Campaigns… There is no reason to spend campaign money in New York or in Texas as the money will largely be wasted (you will see candidates visit California, Texas, and New York but they are always for fund-raising trips). They are not there to spread the vote, but to collect donations. Some of the states that have been classified as toss-ups recently include Florida, Ohio, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, and Colorado. Usually there are 8-10 states that the campaigns focus most of their attention on. The goal is 270 Electoral College Votes, so the first step is to count up all the votes in the states who are definitely voting for your candidate then figure out which toss-up states are likely to vote your way.

66. Political Campaigns Incumbents Politicians currently serving in office and up for re-election. The incumbent effect: Incumbents enjoy the benefits of image and experience . This often includes the use of public monies. Official Travel Position Taking Credit Claiming

67. Campaign Staff: Professionals and Amateurs Campaign strategists. Pollsters. Media specialists. Fundraisers. Julie Chávez Rodríguez Chris LaCivita

68. Campaign Staff: Professionals and Amateurs The campaign team can gauge public opinion on the major issues of the day. They select the most important issues . Then issue positions that put the candidate in the best light. They then go on to design a media campaign that will present the candidate most effectively

69. Campaign Staff: Professionals and Amateurs Campaigns work very hard to find clusters of like-minded voters and target them with messages that will resonate with them and hopefully move them to the polls. This why ads can be very different across regions . Get-out-the-vote strategies. Politiqueras , temporary paid campaign workers, to go door-to-door for $100 to $200 on election day to pass out fliers.

70. Opposition research Opposition research : studying the opponent’s: Personal background. Issue positions. Past political statements and votes. ( GovTrack ) Looking for weaknesses that might be exploited during the campaign.

71. Negative Campaigning A campaign that highlights the flaws of the opponent over the virtues of their own candidates Voters claim to dislike negative advertising, but it often works. Negative campaigning works by decreasing political efficacy and reduces support for candidate who is target. However, it can backfire . Political Campaigns see big payoffs in manipulating the electorate. Campaigns depend on manipulating emotions .

72. Political Economy of Campaigns

73. https://www.opensecrets.org/elections-overview/cost-of-election?cycle=2020&display=T&infl=N

74. Media Costs 30 second ads cost from $1,000-$6,000,000. The average is around $10,000. Running an ad in Texas just once, costs about $150,000. Why? Texas has many markets. Billboards can be cheaper https://www.bluelinemedia.com/billboard-advertising/texas-tx

75. Why? It must run six or eight times before its message penetrates the consciousness of a busy and distracted voter. Steady spending on at least $2 million a week on television from Labor Day to mid-October and then dump what is left into the final month. To solve the increasing price of political media, some countries provide subsidies . Media Costs

76. Media Costs In some countries like Spain , purchasing media time is illegal for political parties. Parties are allotted free space during radio and tv time. Time allotted depends on size and support of each party. This has allowed a diversity of parties to flourished. In the U.S. politicians must appeal to the wealthy.

77. Content Analysis of Ads Ads are used to tell a story . Often what is depicted is not literally true but rather works as an indirect tale. Understanding the goal of an ad requires knowing the source . Different sources have different goals. Ads use manipulation to influence people's feelings and emotions about the candidate or opponent. This is often the case for issue ads which try to manipulate perceptions to garner support or opposition for said policy . Never interpret an ad with face value. Always ask : What are they trying to tell me? Who is behind this?

78. Eisenhower Campaign (1952)

79. Lyndon B. Johnson (1964)

80. Richard Nixon(1968)

81. Ford vs. Carter (1976)

82. Reagan (1984)

83. Bush vs. Dukakis (1988)

84. Dukakis v Bush (1988)

85. Dukakis v Bush (1988)….explained

86. George W. Bush vs. Gore (2000)

87. Al Gore Presidential Campaign Ad (2000)

88. Rick Perry Presidential Campaign 2012

89. 2018 Congressional election against Paul Gosar

90. Obama Presidential Campaign 2012

91. Trump Presidential Campaign 2016

92. Biden 2020 Campaign

93. Biden-Harris 2024

94. Trump 2024

95. Incumbency Advantage Around 90% of incumbents get re-elected. Unpopular members retire to "spend more time with the family." Challengers normally select weak incumbent to run against. When incumbents are popular, challengers wait until the tide changes. Think about AOC and the cup of water.

96. Midterm Loss Midterms occur during the second year of a presidential term. They usually mean a certain loss for the ruling party. Due to low saliency, they have lower turnout . The party in power is easy to blame. Electorate expect impossibly quick solutions. This brings electoral loss during midterms. This is part of political group behavior .

97. Midterm Loss

98. Important Facts!!

99. Other Types of Elections in the United States

100. Judicial Elections Federal judges are all appointed by the President and confirmed by the U.S. Senate. States however are free to elect their judges in any manner. Several mechanisms exist in order to elect judges. Partisan elections: Judges run for office like any other politician with a party label attached to a candidate. Non-partisan elections: Judges run for election but do not use party labels. Retention elections: are those where the judge is initially appointed to a judgeship, usually by the governor, and then from time to time there is an election in which the voters are asked whether the judge should remain in office or not - so there is no other candidates running against an incumbent in a retention election, but the voters can remove someone from office this way. Then the governor would appoint a replacement.

101. Judicial Elections

102. Features of Elections in Texas Elections, elections, elections…………… Primary elections General elections City elections School and college board elections Special elections Bond elections for city, county, and state governments State constitution amendments . With so many different elections, it may be difficult for voters to process all of the information . Voters often rely on mental shortcuts or cues . 108

103. Different types of elections Initiative Referendum Recall -A measure that permits voters to propose and vote on legislation. - Two Types: Indirect and Direct - Indirect Initiative -the petition is laid before the state legislature. Legislature may pass or amend and then release measure for public vote. - Direct Initiative -the measure is placed on the ballot for voters. -A measure that permits voters to repeal existing legislation. -Permits voters to remove an officeholder from office if enough believe the person has done a poor job or is corrupt. -Also known as the “people’s impeachment.” There are caveats with these measures such as gathering a certain number of signatures from registered voters and reaching a threshold minimum.

104. Initiatives and Referendums This is what we call direct democracy . Direct democracy is the way that most states instituted term limits on state legislators (since they are unlikely to pass such a law on themselves). Redistricting reform and selling bonds for specific issues are two common areas that are often brought before the voters through this process as well. This practice can be traced back to the Progressive Era . States will require a certain number of registered voters to sign a petition that supports putting a specific proposal on the ballot. Direct democracy is usually not healthy as majorities will use it to abuse minorities. Direct democracy is the way in which several states passed laws making English the official language of the state.

105. Recall Elections When elected officials become unpopular some states allow recall elections This is also an element which was created during the Progressive Era. A recall election is put on the ballot the same way an initiative is - a certain number of registered voters must sign a petition. The required percentage of voters signing the petition varies per states. An interesting example was that of California in 2003, when Governor Gray Davis was successfully recalled. In California, the requirement is 12 percent of the number of votes cast in the previous gubernatorial election - in today's numbers that is about 1.5 million signatures

106. Initiatives Another important accomplishment of the progressive era is the use of citizen initiatives . This is when regular citizens can petition their state government to pass a law, ordinance or regulation. Not all states allow them and the procedures in order to get initiatives passed differ from state to state. In Texas, citizen initiatives are not allowed.

107. Initiatives