An appropriate topic as we begin our summer classes.
Is the Texas population fit to govern itself?
Texans are not highly engaged voters and citizens — and, by some
measures, not very active members of their communities, a nonpartisan
study has found.
In 2010, the state ranked 51st among the states
and the District of Columbia in voter turnout, 49th in the share of its
citizens who contacted public officials, 47th in how many trust most of
their neighbors and 43rd in the percentage who give to charities.
The
study, released Monday, is the first-ever Texas Civic Health Index, a
joint effort by the Annette Strauss Institute for Civic Life at the
University of Texas at Austin and the National Conference on
Citizenship, a congressionally chartered group that tries to evaluate
civic participation.
Regina Lawrence, the UT journalism professor
who runs the Strauss Institute, said the findings should alarm Texans.
She noted that just 36 percent cast ballots in 2010.
“A good
definition of democracy is not one in which two-thirds of voters don’t
show up,” Lawrence said. “What we saw was a very active minority of
citizens really determining the future of the state in that election.”
