This study examines the threat and damage that coastal surge brings to Houston Metroplex and points out the importance of well-planned evacuation. In particular, the evacuation of several million people from a highly-populated area requires careful planning, coordination of resources, and precise direction from the leadership. Given widespread damages caused by severe weather over the past few decades to Houston Metroplex, the related authorities should work together to develop the orderly and coordinated evacuation plans so as to reduce loss of life and property.

Keywords: evacuation, coastal surge, flooding, disaster, Houston Metroplex.

The Texas Lottery Commission 2016 Demographic Study of Texas Lottery Players surveyed a total of 1,685 Texas residents aged 18 years and older between June and August, 2016. The survey respondents included both past-year players (who had played any Texas Lottery game in the past year) and non-players (who had not played any Texas Lottery game in the past year). The percentage of respondents playing any Texas Lottery game (the participation rate) for 2016 was 35.0 percent, which was 6.3 percentage points higher than the rate of 28.7 percent in 2015. The increase in the participation rate was statistically significant. In contrast to the overall downward trend in the Texas Lottery participation rates in the last two decades, there was a noticeable gain of 10 percentage points in the participation rates over the past two years. There were statistically significant differences between the samples of past-year players and non-players of Texas Lottery games in 2016 with regard to employment status, own or rent home, age, number of children under 18 living in household, gender, and Hispanic origin. Among past-year players, differences in the percent playing any game were statistically significant based on the players’ Hispanic origin, gender, age and employment status. Among the individual games/add-on features, Lotto Texas was the most popular game in terms of participation in 2016, with a high participation rate of 61.1 percent. The second- and third-most popular games in 2016 were Mega Millions (60.3 percent) and Powerball (56.5 percent), respectively. In comparison to 2015, a total of five games recorded a double-digit increase in their respective participation rate in 2016. They were Powerball (increase of 36.4 percentage points), Mega Millions (31.3 percentage points), Lotto Texas (29.9 percentage points), Pick 3 Day (19.9 percentage points) and Cash Five (15.8 percentage points). Texas Triple Chance, a new game introduced in 2015, had the highest frequency of purchase among those playing at least once a week (38.9 percent) among past-year players. Consistent with past years’ findings, most 2016 past-year players had participated in Texas lottery games for more than five years. The lottery sales districts with the highest and the lowest participation rates in any Texas Lottery games in 2016 were Houston East (45.9 percent) and Houston Northwest (27.0 percent). The lottery sales district with the largest participation rate increase for 2016 was Houston East (18.2 percentage points). In contrast, the San Antonio sales district experienced the greatest participation rate decline, 4.5 percentage points. The differences in participation rates between 2015 and 2016 were statistically significant for the lottery sales districts of Dallas South, Houston East, and Houston Southwest.

Keywords: Texas lottery, lottery players, lottery games, demographics, Texas.

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A survey of 400 CD-23 registered voters who did not vote in the November 2014 election indicates that for 5.8% of these Texans the principal reason given for why they did not vote was because they did not possess any of the seven forms of photo identification required by the state to cast a vote in person. More than twice that many (12.8%) agreed that their lack of any one of these seven photo IDs was a reason they did not vote.

However, when further queried about the different forms of photo identification in their possession, the survey revealed that a much lower proportion (2.7%) of CD-23 non-voters in fact lacked one of the seven needed to vote in person. In all, while 12.8% and 5.8% of these non-voters cited a lack of a photo ID as a reason or the principal reason they did not vote, only 1.0% and 0.5% of the respondents both respectively attributed their non-voting in part or primarily to a lack of photo ID and actually did not possess an approved form of photo ID.

This study suggests that the most significant impact of the Texas voter photo ID law on voter participation in CD-23 in November 2014 was to discourage turnout among registered voters who did indeed possess an approved form of photo ID, but through some combination of misunderstanding, doubt or lack of knowledge, believed that they did not possess the necessary photo identification.

The disjuncture between the proportion of voters who listed a lack of an ID as a reason or the principal reason they did not vote and the proportion of these individuals who actually did not have an ID highlights the potential for a future voter education campaign to clearly explain the types of photo identification required to cast a vote in person in Texas. This education campaign however needs to be designed based on a comprehensive study targeted at understanding the sources and causes of confusion which resulted in so many Texans believing they did not have a required form of photo ID when in reality they actually did.

This study also examines the potential impact of the Texas voter photo ID law on the outcome of the 2014 election in CD-23. It suggests that the presence of the law kept far more Gallego than Hurd supporters away from the polls last fall.

Keywords: Texas voter photo ID law, Latino non-voters, voter turnout, Texas Congressional District 23, 2014 election