Terry B. Rogers College of Education and Social Sciences
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Browsing Terry B. Rogers College of Education and Social Sciences by Author "Rausch, Mary Scanlon"
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Item Does turnout matter?(2016-09-01) Rausch, Mary Scanlon; Rausch, John David, Jr.This paper examines the 2015 vote on a non-binding referendum on a portion of the program of downtown redevelopment in Amarillo, Texas. Despite early polls indicating that the referendum would be easy defeated, Amarillo voters approved building a multi-purpose event center (MPEV) as part of a wave of downtown redevelopment. The analysis considers the reasons why the referendum was approved despite the vocal opposition to it. We find that voter turnout played a significant role in the referendum’s approval. We also find that a professional campaign can win an election that seems lost at the beginning.Item The Political Context of Emergency Services Districts in Texas(2018-11) Rausch, John David Jr.; Rausch, Mary Scanlon;Special purpose districts are the most numerous units of government in Texas. There are approximately 3,350 special districts in Texas, divided into 40 different types. Special districts exist locally and provide infrastructure and deliver specific services, like firefighting, road construction, and water treatment. While the powers of special districts vary based on type and location, they may impose property taxes and sales taxes as well as issue bonds and sue and be sued. This paper examines emergency services districts (ESDs). ESDs can provide fire protection, emergency medical services, or both. The districts are created through a grassroots effort that starts when a petition signed by at least 100 voters is presented to the County Commissioners Court in the county in which the ESD is to be created. The Commissioners Court determines the feasibility of the request and calls an election for voter approval of the district. Approximately 93 of Texas’s 254 counties have at least one ESD. The present research considers the political environment of those counties who have created ESDs compared to the counties without ESDs. The political variables are subjected to a statistical analysis. We then present case studies examining the experiences of two counties to illustrate how the political variables work together to create or defeat ESDs. This research suggests that the creation of ESDs primarily is the result of politics in the individual county.Item To Mask or Not to Mask?: Public Opinion Factors in Mask-wearing Behavior in a Pandemic(2022-01) Rausch, John David; Rausch, Mary Scanlon;The present research seeks to understand who wears a mask in a pandemic. Two surveys of students at a regional public university in the American Southwest were administered in October 2020 and October 2021. The online survey, distributed to students in both traditional brick-and-mortar classrooms and online classes, asked about mask-wearing habits. Respondents also were asked about their ideology and political party identification as well as traditional demographic questions. Comparing two years of survey responses adds an element of change, especially since COVID regulations in Texas changed during that time. Party identification clearly is the most important factor in mask-wearing behavior in 2020. By 2021, an examination of mask-wearing behavior becomes more complex and nuanced.