6.2: Why Interest Groups Form in Texas

Interest groups have an overwhelming influence in what are known as dominant or complementary states. In some states, interest groups have substantial political influence. In others, dissimilar political forces that include interest groups complement each other. In a dominant/complementary state, interest group influence is strong (i.e., dominant) but balanced (i.e., complementary) by competing political forces such as political party organizations, governmental institutions, and the voters.¹¹ Texas is considered a dominant/complementary state, meaning that the factors in the state are more than favorable to the existence and overwhelming influence of special interest groups.

Texas is among the states where interest groups have a high potential for great influence. A number of factors affect the strength and success of interest groups in Texas, including historic lack of diversity in the state economy, limited legislative resources, a weak executive structure, low levels of political participation, and limited competition by political parties.

Historic Lack of Diversity in the State Economy

Texas’s early political history was heavily influenced and shaped by its economic activity. Shortly after it became a state, the Texas economy was dominated by cattle, cotton, and timber. Subsequently, the most significant sector of the economy has historically been the oil and gas industry. As oil and gas became dominant, legislation in the state favored the more powerful energy interests over those of the other less powerful or wealthy groups. This phenomenon made collusion or cooperation between the competing groups virtually impossible. In response, the industries with less influence, such as cattle and cotton, began to implement the same strategies that had already been employed by the oil and gas industry to affect legislation and public policy. Thus, the advent of interest groups in Texas was the result of antagonistic competitors. Since that time, however, the state’s economy has become quite diversified, and industries relating to energy, information and technology, service, agriculture, trade, real estate, international business, retail, education, leisure and hospitality, manufacturing, financial services, construction, and medicine have flourished. Now all these industries have interest group representation, each with a mission to influence legislation beneficial to their industry.

Limited Legislative Resources

The Texas Constitution created a weak Texas legislature, with severe constraints on the time legislators could meet (140 days every two years) and similar limits on the pay those elected to the Texas legislature could receive, insuring legislators have other jobs beyond their state duties. This was to ward off possible oppression by a strong central government of the state. Some contend this system is favorable because legislators do not spend so much time in Austin creating legislation and instead can serve the constituents well since they must return to live under the laws they authorize. However, it is alleged these constraints contribute to the possibility that legislators are more susceptible to the influence of well-financed interest groups because there is little time to substantially research prospective pieces of legislation. As a result, members of the legislature are more dependent on interest groups and lobbyists for research, information, and the drafting of legislation.

Weak Executive Structure and Resources

Texas also has a weak governor who is, at times, a figurehead who presides over an executive branch in which all but one of the officials is elected in independent partisan elections. Only one member of the executive branch, the Texas Secretary of State, is appointed by the governor. The governor may appoint the heads of various agencies, boards, panels and commissions, but only one-third of those individuals are eligible for appointment or reappointment every two years. In addition, once appointed, they cannot be fired, and the governor has little or no influence over such appointees once they have assumed their positions. The governor has no constitutional power to issue executive orders. In addition, aside from the line-item veto, he has very limited budgetary control. The Texas governor is ranked at or near the bottom of most classifications addressing the relative strengths of the nation’s governors.¹²

Low Levels of Political Participation

Voter turnout is very low in Texas, though it has improved somewhat in recent elections. The

state has the second lowest voting-age participation rate compared to other states that hold primaries. Only half of registered Texas voters cast their votes 2018. Texas ranked forty-first in the country in voter turnout that year. Turnout in odd-numbered, non-presidential election years has, unfortunately always been historically lower. Not surprisingly, voter turnout the following year was only twelve percent. The state’s low voter turnout is attributed to the low percentage of registered voters, high poverty rates, and low citizen education levels. Members of interest groups turn out more to vote. In addition, the individualistic/traditionalistic political subcultures of the state tends to reinforce interest group domination. Why? Because individualists believe that individuals can survive by themselves without significant government assistance. Consequently, many individuals in the state lack interest in influencing government. In addition, traditionalists contend that elite groups who control Texas’s commercial interests have demonstrated their consistent success in regulating the state’s flourishing economy.¹³

Low or Limited Political Party Competition

Aside from short periods of transition, there has always been the one party domination of the state. From the Civil War until the mid-1970s, no Republican was elected to the office of governor. In fact, the Democratic Party dominated state politics for the century before 1994. From then until now, Republicans have dominated state politics. Interest groups are much more influential during one party dominance. In two party states, where there is vigorous competition and shared governance, interest groups know and concentrate on influencing two—rather than one—parties. This diffusion of interest group effort, time, energy and funding among the two parties acts an inhibitor to interest group dominance of one dominant party or state politics governed by that party.

Constitutional Length and Legal Framework

The more detailed the state’s constitution, the more restrictions that document generally places on the government. The Texas Constitution is universally considered too long and cumbersome. It is the second most verbose state constitution. At over 63,000 words, its length is surpassed only by the Alabama constitution. In addition, the state has adopted a liberal amendment process. Over 500 amendments have been adopted since 1876. This liberal amendment process inhibits constitutional revision. As a result, the constitutional is excessively detailed. This detail reflects the citizens’ historical distrust of government. It is also highly restrictive, and its many requirements and limitations on both state and local governments make it one of the most restrictive state constitutions. All of these factors create special challenges to Texas’s state government is its attempt to regulate large, organized, and well-financed interest groups and, in most cases, it will not be able to do so.¹⁴

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11. Amy Glenn. Interest Groups in Texas [PowerPoint slides], http://www.amyglenn.com/POLS/Interes...20Part%20I.pdf.

12. Glenn, Interest Groups, http://www.amyglenn.com/POLS/Interes...20Part%20I.pdf.

13. Glenn, Interest Groups, http://www.amyglenn.com/POLS/Interes...20Part%20I.pdf.

14. Glenn, Interest Groups, http://www.amyglenn.com/POLS/Interes...20Part%20I.pdf.