Voting analysis in harris county of 2020 elections edited

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Voting Analysis in Harris County Of 2020 Elections
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Voting Analysis in Harris County Of 2020 Elections
The essay’s primary purpose is to present the general election results in Harris County for
November 3, 2020. The article compares turnout in my area to turnout in Harris County, where I
now reside. The author examines presidential election voting and aspects that society can
consider to boost voter turnout.
President Donald Trump received 52.22 percent of the vote in Texas in the presidential
election, compared to Joe Biden’s 46.35 percent, according to unofficial numbers from the Texas
Secretary of State. A few precincts in Cypress and River Oaks voted with Democratic precincts
in Bellaire and a portion of the Heights. In contrast, others in Kingwood and other communities
voted with Republican precincts in Bellaire and a portion of the Heights in regions with more
than 85 percent turnout (Eggers et al., 2021).
According to activists, many people in the county believe the election isn’t that important
to them. According to Sandra Rodriguez, many Latino voters are unsatisfied with politicians
because they only appear to them during elections and not at other times. Hispanics outnumber
whites in more than 70% of low-turnout precincts (Eggers et al., 2021). Biden struggled to gain
traction in Hispanic-majority counties near the border and Texas’ Rio Grande Valley,
disappointing local Latino voters. According to countywide data, 67.84 percent of eligible voters
cast ballots in the 2020 election, up 61.3 percent in 2016 and 62 percent in 2012.
Ethnic groups had a lower turnout, according to the report. According to a countywide
analysis, only 57 percent of registered voters in the county’s primarily Hispanic communities
voted (McGlennon, 2021). It was marginally better in primarily Black neighborhoods, where 58
percent of registered voters cast ballots than 71 percent in predominantly white neighborhoods.
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Despite Texas voting Republican for president, according to an unofficial vote recount
conducted by the county clerk, 45 Harris County precincts switched parties. Harris County,
which has over 1,000 precincts, voted the same as in 2016.
The face-to-face engagement was restricted by COVID 19 (Harris, 2021). Many activists
argued that this was critical since it provided politicians with the only opportunity to engage with
locals and help them understand their concerns and why they should vote for a specific
candidate. Many voting advocates claim that the election season was difficult since COVID-19
rendered door-to-door canvassing illegal, and many individuals worked two or three jobs. Thus,
voting was out of the question (Harris, 2021).
They believed it was critical to educate those communities about the value of voting and
how election results affected them personally to improve Latino voter turnout. According to the
data, registered voters from outside the Beltway cast most of the 1.6 million ballots cast in Harris
County. Outside the Texas 8 Beltway, Voters cast 71 percent of ballots, accounting for 58
percent of all votes cast (McGlennon, 2021).
That year, the Harris County region between one and six hundred and ten, Beltway, saw a
population surge, earning 29 percent of all votes cast, compared to 13 percent for those living
within the six hundred and ten loops (McGlennon, 2021). Regardless, 78,200 people live in
precincts where the Democratic vote was moved to the Republican vote in this election.
Furthermore, locations with a low turnout were virtually entirely Democratic
neighborhoods of color, with the majority of the east of I-45, including the Alief neighborhood
and other Republican precincts in Baytown and along the Ship Channel. Cravings, on the other
hand, were not a novel phenomenon. They help explain why increased voter turnout in a blue
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county did not result in Democratic margins are widening for the following reasons: In general,
the lower Biden’s approval rating, the higher attendance in a precinct in 2020 than in 2016.
According to the research, Biden failed to meet O’Rourke’s margins in any group and fell
short of Clinton’s margins except the 200 fastest-growing precincts. Biden won approximately
5% more votes in those precincts than Clinton did in 2016. Trump improved his 2016
performance by 0.5 percent (McGlennon, 2021). Even though Biden’s vote share in the county’s
fastest-growing precincts is only a fraction of a percentage point lower than his countywide vote
share of 55.3 percent. The county’s fastest-growing areas, according to the research, are likely to
tilt Democratic. Biden received votes in nine of the 200 fastest-growing precincts, compared to
Trump’s nine four years earlier (McGlennon, 2021).
Individual disparities in turnout remain over time; indeed, the most potent predictor of
future turnout appears to be whether a person voted in the previous election. As a result, many
academics consider voter engagement a learned or unlearned habit, particularly among young
people. Adult study engagement has increased due to enhanced social skills and enrollment in
high-quality early childhood education programs. The socio-economic conditions should be
improved because they significantly impact the formation of voting patterns.
Education is an essential socio-economic component. Even after controlling for other
closely connected variables to education levels, such as money and social position, the better
educated a person is, the more likely they will vote. According to a 2017 study, they were
providing a voter guide including crucial information on candidates in an approaching election to
registered voters between the ages of 18 and 30 increased turnout by 0.9 percentage points.
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Income has an independent effect: wealthier people are more likely to vote, regardless of
educational level.
Another factor predicted to improve voter turnout in Harris County is a close race. Voters
will rationally weigh the costs and rewards of voting in an election based on the Downsian
Closeness hypothesis and the concept of instrumental voting. If the election is expected to be
close and voters believe their vote will determine the outcome, the advantages will outweigh the
expenses. Parties usually enhance their mobilization efforts during elections. Even if the
principle of instrumental voting applies to all elections, the consequences of instrumental voting
will be more pronounced in democracies and electoral systems with majoritarian systems.
In conclusion, voter turnout in Harris County was higher than in prior election years.
However, many things must be improved to increase voter turnout. As discussed in the prior
article, improved education, economic situations, and other factors can impact persons’ voting
sentiments.
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References
Eggers, A. C., Garro, H., & Grimmer, J. (2021). No evidence for systematic voter fraud: A guide
to statistical claims about the 2020 election. Proceedings of the National Academy of
Sciences, 118(45).
Harris, J. E. (2020). COVID-19, bar crowding, and the Wisconsin Supreme Court: A non-linear
tale of two counties. Research in International Business and Finance, 54, 101310.
McGlennon, J. J. (2021). The 2020 Election and the States. The Presidential Election of 2020:
Donald Trump and the Crisis of Democracy, 131.
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