Here's what you should prioritize as you prep for the test, but don't limit yourself to these.
I might get tricky.
Current events – 10 to 15 questions
- these will be based on items posted on the blog over the semester
A basic comparison of the Texas and US Constitutions
The content of the Texas Bill of Rights
Differences between the US and Texas Bill of Rights
The functions of local governments – both multi purpose and single purpose
Major periods in the shift from Democratic to Republican control in the state
The powers of the Texas Speaker
The powers of the Lieutenant Governor
The plural executive
The amateur legislature
The elected judiciary
The pros and cons of judicial elections
The influence of Jacksonianism on the design of Texas government
The impact of Supreme Court decisions on Texas
The organization of public education in Texas – ISD’s specifically
What is a city?
What is a county?
The chief elections officers of the state and of the county
The bill making process in Texas – constitutional requirements
Initiative, referenda, and recall elections statewide and on the local level
The impact of the Voting Rights Act in Texas
The constitutional powers of the governor
The content of the Texas Constitution – the headings of the articles
Qualifications to vote in Texas
The argument in the Texas Declaration of Independence
Suffrage in Texas – the impact of the national government on suffrage
State powers contained in the U.S. Constitution
Basic facts about the Texas Legislature
Primary elections in Texas
State and local sovereignty
Spending in Texas – which institutions get what? Where does the money come from?
The Economic Stabilization Fund
The role of the trial and appellate courts
The Texas Supreme Court and the Court of Criminal Appeals
The various designs of city governments
Types of single purpose governments
The powers denied to the states by the U.S. Constitution
The reserved powers
The budgeting process
The current lawsuit regarding cuts in education spending
How elections are managed in Texas
The voter registration process
The districting process – gerrymandering and its consequences
Committees in the Texas legislature
The selection of electoral college members in the state
The members of the temporary party organization
Term limits in Texas – who is and is not subject to it?
The State Board of Education
School Boards – Board of Regents
Home rule cities in Texas
At–large and single member districts
The White Primary
Police Powers
Political culture in Texas
The functions of each member of the plural executive
Party membership in the state legislature
Tactics the national government uses to compel the state to follow national laws
The governor’s influence on the bill making process
The politics surrounding the drafting and ratification of the 1876 Constitution
Rules regarding debt and the size of the budget in Texas
Tax policy in the state
Amendments to the Texas Constitution
County officials
The relationship between counties and the state
County chairs of the major parties in the state
