Dems face fundamental problem in Texas: Getting people to vote

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

SAN ANTONIO — On paper, Texas should be a swing state.

Urban growth and suburban sprawl have radically changed Lone Star country, which not so long ago was largely rural.
A demographic shift is also underway. Forty-three percent of residents now are non-Hispanic white.

Thirty-nine percent are Hispanic, another 13 percent are African-American, and almost 5 percent are Asian Americans.
Yet amid all this change, Texas has become more solidly red.

Republicans control supermajorities in both the state House and Senate, every statewide elected office and the vast majority of the 5,000 or so local elected positions throughout the state.

Still, there are some hints, if only slight, that Texas represents new possibilities for a Democratic comeback.

Of the millions of new residents pouring into the state, a little more than half come from Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras and other South and Central American countries. The rest largely come from California, Florida, New York and Illinois.

Democrats say this demographic change suggests the state has purple characteristics, if only people would go to the polls.

“We’re not a red state. We’re a low-turnout state,” said Rafael Anchia, a Democratic state representative from Dallas.

http://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/345401-the-gops-texas-miracle?rnd=1501884852

[Wellstone ruled]

1. We face this issue in every State.

You have to have boots on the ground.

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

2. Well not quite

In Washington State where I live we have vote by mail. The participation rate in our state is fairly high.

I've noticed though many of the red states have correspondingly low voter turnout.

[Wellstone ruled]

5. You folks are the

exception. If it had not been for the Major Democratic Turn out for early voting here in Nevada,we would have lost our butts big time. When the Comey Note hit on that Friday,all hell broke loose. And on Election day we got our lunch handed to us,and again if it had not been for the early vote it would have been butt ugly. Just barely pulled Jackie Rosen thru the door. And that took boots on the ground to pull that off.

[LonePirate]

7. Very true. There does seem to be a correlation between low voter turnout and a state's redness.

I will gladly accept any proof that contradicts my assumption, though, because it is merely an assumption on my part.

[kentuck]

3. I think Democrats have to make face-to-face contact with voters.

And make them feel important. Make them feel they have an investment in the next election. No one can be taken for granted.

[TexasBushwhacker]

4. The good news is, the cities and South Texas are all blue

We just need to make them bluer with GOTV. It's a lot easier to work on GOTV on a few urban counties than to have to cover the whole state.

[shadowmayor]

6. Lyin' Ted better watch out

Beto O'Rourke is building a solid campaign to unseat lyin' Ted. And he's doing it with small donations. Too many times we've seen the Big Money Democratic apparatus leave viable candidates high and dry. Wendy Davis had a good shot at beating our disgusting governor Abbott But at a critical point, the money was pulled. Saw much the same in Kentucky when Lundergan Grimes was giving the Turtle a run for his money.

Texas can go blue, but it will take some work and voter suppression is alive and well throughout the Great State of Texas. Stay tuned.

[Gothmog]

8. Texas isnt a Red State, its a non-voting state Paul Begala

This is from Paul Begala http://www.collindemocrats.org/texas-isnt-a-red-state-its-a-non-voting-state/

“Texas isn’t a Red State, it’s a non-voting state”
~ Paul Begala @ BattlegroundTX (#BGTX) fundraiser, Austin, Texas – Jun 22, 2013