*Texas Bar's Annual Bar Elections' Voter Participation Rates by Member Attorneys:
YEAR |
BALLOTS DISTRIBUTED |
VOTES CAST (VIA INTERNET OR POSTAL MAIL) |
**PARTICIPATED (%) | **ABSTAINED (%) |
| 2023 | 111,000, approximately | 23,051 | 20%, approximately | 80%, approximately |
| 2022 | 109,219 | 21,437 | 19.6% | 80.4% |
| 2021 | Undisclosed by the Texas Bar | 20,194 | 19% (at most) | 81% (at least) |
| 2020 | 105,258 | 19,298 (<-internet only) | 18% (<--after 2 months) | 82% |
| 2019 | 103,456 | 24,252 | 23% *** | 77% |
| 2018 | 102,025 | 32,268 | 32% | 68% |
| 2017 (runoff) **** |
100,401 | 30,138 | 30% | 70% |
| 2017 | 100,434 | 27,038 | 27% | 73% |
| 2016 | 98,692 | 18,175 | 18% | 82% |
| 2015 | 97,127 | 24,347 | 25% | 75% |
| 2014 | 94,920 | 20,514 | 22% | 78% |
| 2013 (runoff) |
92,459 | 28,019 | 30% | 70% |
| 2013 | 92,364 | 25,091 | 27% | 73% |
| 2012 | 90,300 | 18,694 | 21% | 79% |
| 2011 | 88,129 | 21,210 | 24% | 76% |
| 2010 | 86,105 | 19,937 | 23% | 77% |
| 2009 | 84,022 | 24,055 | 29% | 71% |
| 2008 | 81,895 | 20,075 | 25% | 75% |
| 2007 | 79,605 | 17,786 | 22% | 78% |
**Average %: 2007-2020 = 24% |
**Average %: 2007-2020 = 76% |
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*Sources: Texas Bar's elections department and Elections Services Corp.
**Pre-2021 percentages are all rounded up a percentage point if they end in ##.5 or greater, and down one if not.
***To our knowledge, all electoral periods lasted for 1 month (per year) unless otherwise indicated (i.e. during 2020, for which it lasted 2 months).
****Both runoff years had 2 stage elections. (2013 & 2017). The petition candidates were Steve Fischer (2013) & Joe Longley (2017).
Incidentally, during February & March of 2021, a rules referendum took place online for over a month.
Reportedly 19,823 participated. That represented approximately 18.5% of eligible membership...
As recently as 2021, the Texas Bar knowingly refrained from lowering the quantity
of signatures required of petition candidates from 5% back to 1% of the total active Bar membership.
Reportedly the percentage required was 1% until around 1986.
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