At the risk of derailing This Thread, can anyone explain to me why voter registration and turnout among Texas Hispanic citizens is so abysmal? I don't recall it being nearly so bad in States like Nevada Colorado or New Mexico, for example, though I could be wrong.
There is the demographics, of course, but in South Texas it is also a cultural/historical issue. There is a history of machine politics, elections/votes being bought, and results being rigged (for example, LBJ's extra votes). Over time, this makes people believe that voting doesn't matter, and is not a way in which things can be improved. There is a lack of a perceived reason to vote, or a reason why voting is culturally important.
In addition, statewide general election races have not recently been remotely competitive, so this makes it seem like there is even less reason to vote. In many counties in South Texas, it has actually been the case that turnout in the Democratic primary is higher than General Election turnout. Because whereas the Democratic primary determines who holds local political offices, the General Election has been a foregone conclusion - Republicans will win statewide.
