By Raegan Scharfetter and Jonathan Rose

Students gathered Sept. 21 on TR Campus to learn about politics and ideologies in Texas.

Mark P. Jones, Baker Institute Fellow in Political Science and Jamail Chair in Latin American Studies at Rice University, spoke about the diversity of voters and their voting preferences.

In the past 143 Texas elections, Republican votes have outnumbered Democratic votes.

Republicans currently have 95 of the 150 seats in the state House of Representatives.

The majority of Tarrant County voters are Republican, and the majority of Dallas County voters are Democrat, Jones said.

“The interesting part that he talked about was getting rid of the straight-ballot ticket voting,” TR student Stephanie Flowers said. “So now, I’m going to have to research each candidate.”

Jones discussed the decision to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, saying many Republicans want a law that preserves protection of DACA citizens.

“There is a climate of myopic versus a long-term vision as some Republicans only care about GOP votes while long-term Republicans are against anti-Latino votes,” Jones said.

TR student Keyah Franklin said she enjoyed the discussion about the recent decision to end DACA.

“I enjoyed it because he explained how voting, the process, worked and how getting rid of the DACA worked in regards to the voter turnout rate,” Franklin said.

Jones also talked about the Texas ban on sanctuary cities. The ban allows police officers to ask anyone for their immigration papers.

A traffic stop arrest can result in deportation because Texas jails are required to comply with reporting any immigrant violations to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

TR student Matela Kromah attended this event as part of a class requirement.

“Everything pretty much stood out to me,” Kromah said. “I am not very big on politics, and this event honestly opened my eyes and made me understand the role I could play in my society by educating myself.”