The previous story mentions the patron system in Texas which dominated border politics for decades. It was more than a simple system of patronage, it was a hierarachical social system where decisions were delegated to local elites and voting was strictly controlled. They were based on the working arrangements that existed in the large ranches in south Texas like the King Ranch (Wikipedia).
The term then applied to the party systems under the control of a boss - often a county official - who controlled the ballot box. Votes could be delivered to preferred candidates like LBJ in the 1948 Senate election.
