click to enlarge Bexar County Elections Department
With early voting about a month away, a new
Washington Post story offers
some sobering stats about Texans' participation in the political process.
We came in
dead last when it comes to voting in midterm elections.
Yep. Only a third of Lone Star State residents bothered to cast ballots in recent midterms, which puts us in a tie with Washington, D.C. Let that sink in: Folks from a non-state who have no congressional representation turn up with the same frequency we do.
WaPo analyzed voter turnout for the 2006, 2010 and 2014 midterms to come up with its findings.
As we've noted before, Texas
hasn't exactly done much to encourage civic participation. In fact, voting-rights advocates have called out the state for
structural barriers designed to keep poll numbers low, especially among young and minority voters.
And those didn't go unnoticed by the
Post. Compared to other states, Texas has among the least convenient early voting windows, some of the longest waits at polling places and among the strictest ID requirements, according to the story.
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