ABSTRACT
The quest for Mexican-American empowerment in Texas did not begin with the passage of the Voting Rights Act. The history of Texas is, in part, a history of a continuing struggle between the Mexican origin population and the Anglo population. The patrn system, however, had lasting consequences for Anglo-Mexican-American political relationships. The concept of representation is quite complex, and the inquiry into the relationship between electoral structure and minority representation has significant practical consequences for those communities involved in voting rights litigation. Minority representation is more prevalent in districted cities than in cities with at-large or mixed electoral systems. In addition, the fact that Mexican-American representation in the mixed systems continues to be primarily in the districted portion of the system suggests that enhancement of Mexican-American representation in these systems might come from the adoption of alternative forms of electoral structure for the at-large seats.
