Texas is a very weird state with a very weird political system going back 150 years, one based on distrust of government and shaped by the last time the state constitution was updated. It is one of only two U.S. states that were once independent nations, with Hawaii being the other. It is the second-largest state in land size. Only Alaska is bigger. It is 854.7 miles wide and 899 miles long. Driving east to west or north to south can take roughly 14 to 15 hours, all things being equal.
There are seven Texas state constitutions, with the first adopted in 1827 as the Constitution of Coahuila and Texas and the current constitution adopted in 1876. Number seven, the newest one adopted on February 15, 1876, replaced the Reconstruction-era constitution written in 1869. Efforts to create a new constitution have been tried as recently as 1974 but failed. So, the state keeps using the heavily amended 150-year-old constitution.
The people living in Texas did not particularly like the Constitution of 1866. They did not appreciate the centralized authority written into the constitution and wanted a change. They wanted to remove that centralized authority and give more power back to local offices. The delegates did not trust the government, and it shows. The state legislature meets once every two years for 140 days. The real power rests with the lieutenant governor, not the governor, and the state House and Senate can only act within the narrow boundaries set out in the new constitution. The 1876 constitution shows what local control is all about.
The restrictive constitution does keep the government from growing too much, but it also means that constant amendments are necessary. In the 2025 election, 17 different amendments were on the ballot. Every amendment passed. Everything from water infrastructure to homestead exemptions to an institute to study Alzheimer’s disease and dementia were voted on.
Texas has had 48 governors since it became a state in 1845. Two have been women, both Democrats. Miriam Ferguson in the mid-1920s and 1930s and Ann Richards in the early 1990s. Richards holds the dubious distinction of being the last Democrat elected governor in modern times. No Democrat has been elected governor since 1990. George W. Bush was elected after her. We all know what he went on to do. One governor was impeached, removed from office and barred from holding public office ever again. James Ferguson, Democrat, husband of Miriam, was removed from office in 1917. He is the only governor ever removed from office in Texas. More about him and his wife at the end of the column.
There are no term limits on state elected officials in Texas. Some cities, such as Houston, have term limits, the state does not. Rick Perry, Republican, is the longest serving governor in Texas, serving from 2000 to 2015. However, the current governor, Greg Abbott, is poised to run for a fourth term. Should he win, he will eclipse Perry’s record with 16 years and counting. A four-year term for the governor is a fairly new standard. Until the early 1970s, the term of office for governor was two years. A constitutional amendment was passed lengthening the term to four years starting in 1974. Could another amendment be passed to lengthen or shorten the term of office again? Anything is possible.
Among the odder parts of Texas state legislature is the length of sessions. The state legislature meets once every two years in January of odd years. The session starts on the second Tuesday of the month. Forty-six out of 50 states meet every year. Texas is one of four that meets every other year. Why? The reason goes back to when Texas was admitted to the Union in 1845. Travel was not easy in the 19th century, making it hard to get to Austin, the state capital. That difficulty discouraged frequent meetings. Nearly 200 years later, not much has changed. It is still difficult to get to Austin, let alone around Austin, speaking from personal experience.
The unofficial motto of Austin is: Keep Austin Weird. The rest of the country says, “They don’t have to try very hard.”
The other reason for the infrequent meetings is a deep and abiding distrust of a central government, especially after the Civil War. The limit on the number of days for each session was thought to be a break on whatever foolishness the legislators could come up with. How much trouble they can get into in such a limited amount of time was the prevailing thought. Plenty, as it turns out. Each session runs for 140 days. The governor can call for a special session that lasts up to 30 days. He can call as many special sessions as he wants.
Something that comes as a big surprise to a lot of people is that the Texas legislature is part-time. They make about $600 a month in salary, including during special session. Critics say that the part-time nature and the low pay limit the types of people who can serve. Only those with well-paying jobs can take off four to five months to serve without running into financial difficulties. Supporters say it shows which people truly want to serve. You will not become wealthy as a state legislator. It simply won’t happen.
The reasons for the part-time legislators is the same as that for meeting once every two years: fierce distrust of a centralized government. Having a part-time legislature keeps the government from growing out of control. Should the state meet more often, like a majority of the country? Probably. It is very hard to get everything done in 140 days. The budget has to cover two years instead of one. Will the state legislature start meeting once a year instead of once every two years? Probably not anytime soon. While some legislators privately say that meeting more often would be good, publicly no one is willing to suggest it. Texans are quite happy with their part-time legislature, even suggesting such an idea could get a legislator voted out.
There is the Texas political system in a nutshell. Meet once every two years, no term limits, and any changes made usually result in a constitutional amendment. Weird doesn’t even begin to describe it.
Here is something to keep in mind: The Democrats controlled Texas up to the mid-1990s. For well over 100 years, the Democrats could do whatever they wanted. The state constitution could have been updated at any point in time. In the one recent time updating the constitution was tried, in 1974, the Democrats were in control. It was also another 20 years before the Republicans came into power. Nothing happened. So, if a Democrat asks, “Why hasn’t the Constitution been updated? Why hasn’t anything been done?” turn the question around: “Why didn’t the Democrats do anything?”
Now, about James and Miriam Ferguson. They were known as Pa and Ma Ferguson. Once Ferguson was impeached, removed from office and banned from ever running for state office again, “Pa” got around that prohibition by having his wife, “Ma,” run for the governor’s office. She won twice, in two nonconsecutive terms. “Pa” was her main counsel during her time in office. “Ma” and “Pa” Ferguson are fairly famous in Texas history. “Why?” is a whole separate column. The picture of Texas politics is long and colorful, and the Fergusons are only the beginning.
