ABSTRACT
In mid-twentieth-century Texas, two men, one a murderer and the other a lawyer whose personal demons would soon overwhelm him, changed the legal place of millions of Hispanics in Texas and throughout the nation. Opportunities for political participation in Texas are extensive. Many states, including Texas with its traditionalistic political culture and dominant Anglo elite, used this authority to exclude most poor and minority citizens from politics. Virtually every adult citizen of Texas is allowed to register and to vote. In South Texas, when the local “jefe” was feeling generous, “goat barbecues” were used to treat the voters. Initial passage of the Voting Rights Act in 1965 convinced Texas officials that federal officials were serious about equal voting rights for all citizens. In 1967, the Texas legislature designated the secretary of state as the state’s chief elections official, responsible for interpreting legislation, monitoring compliance, and distributing funds to local election officials.
