AUSTIN — It’s the most important election of our lifetimes.
And Texas voters are getting the chance to decide whether to keep their promise to make the state a better place.
With two weeks left until voters go to the polls to decide the future, a big theme that’s coming up is the need for change in how the state is governed.
A new governor and lieutenant governor and the new attorney general are expected to announce a $25 billion plan to overhaul the state’s political system by mid-year, including a new public financing system.
The changes will include a requirement that every single Texas voter has to show identification to vote, as well as a plan to replace a system that lets the wealthy funnel money to political campaigns without going through a public voter ID process.
It’s a bold plan, and the state has been struggling to get voters to understand it.
Texas voters were asked what they think of the idea of having a new governor appoint an attorney general, and more than a third said they would support the idea.
Texas voters will be asked whether they would back a plan by Gov.
Greg Abbott to change how the Legislature handles redistricting, and nearly three-quarters of Texans said they wouldn’t.
It’s a clear majority, according to a recent poll by the nonpartisan Public Policy Polling.
The plan is designed to make Texas a more representative democracy.
It calls for the creation of a “partisan supermajority” to block any redistricting plans, and would give voters more control over how their districts are drawn.
It would also create a new system that would allow Texas lawmakers to set redistricting goals that are consistent with the will of the people.
But in order to pass it, a constitutional amendment would have to be approved by two-thirds of voters.
The proposed change to the state constitution would be the first of its kind in Texas history, and it’s sure to have a major impact on the campaign of the next governor.
Texas has long been a battleground state in elections, but the recent changes in redistricting have changed the dynamic.
With more people of color in the legislature and voters in the state holding their noses and voting for Abbott, it’s likely that the governor will win reelection.
Abbott is a staunch conservative who has vowed to repeal the voter ID law and put a “fair and impartial” redistricting process in place.
But the current governor, Greg Abbott, has been more supportive of redistricting changes than most.
He’s supported the creation and adoption of a public financing model to ensure that Texans get the best possible deals for them and their families, and he has called the redistricting system “the only fair system.”
In a recent interview with NBC News, Abbott said he supports public financing and would support a plan that would provide a “fairer share of funding” for elections.
He said his administration would continue to work to improve the redistrictricting process.
But his position is not without its critics.
“It’s very concerning that he is proposing a constitutional change that will be passed in a state where it’s already the most redistricting-heavy in the country, but which is also the most partisan,” said Roberta Jacobson, director of the University of Texas at Austin Center for Law and Democracy.
“It could lead to more partisan redistricting.”
Jacobson said the change could make it harder for the state to maintain its integrity in future elections.
The public financing plan, she said, could allow a Republican candidate to raise more money and make a stronger showing in the redistricted districts.
“If you can raise money by having a campaign manager and your own staff, that would create a better chance for Republicans,” she said.
Abbot’s Democratic opponent, Wendy Davis, said the plan is another step toward “regime change” in Texas, and that she is focused on making sure the people of Texas have a say in how they are governed.
The issue of redistricting has become a hot button issue for Texas, as Republicans and Democrats battle over redistricting and how to ensure Texans have the best deal.
A recent poll from the nonpartisan Pew Research Center found that Texans are divided on redistricting.
More than six in 10 Texans, including more than half of Republicans, said they believe that redistricting should be more competitive, while fewer than four in 10 said they were against it.
In a letter to the Legislature last month, Abbott called for the elimination of the “frigid” redistrictings that have become a feature of Texas politics in recent years.
The governor also called for a constitutional convention to make redistricting rules more transparent.
“Texas voters are right to demand that their representatives understand the changes that are coming to Texas politics,” Abbott said in the letter.
“Texas voters want a more accountable process that gives Texans more power to make decisions on their behalf.”
