Texans express confidence in election administration but show distrust towards federal government

Texans have expressed confidence in the administration of elections, with a majority believing that local, state, and federal elections are well-managed. According to a survey by the Hobby School for Public Affairs at the University of Houston, 91% of Texans feel their local elections are well administered, while 90% believe this about state elections and 85% about federal ones.

The survey also revealed broad support for electoral reforms. "We generally found people felt better about governments closer to home – their city governments and school districts, along with county governments – than the state and federal administrations," said Renée Cross, researcher and senior executive director of the Hobby School. Proposed reforms include requiring proof of citizenship for voter registration (86% support), banning taxpayer-funded lobbying by local governments (83%), and allowing online voter registration (70%).

Despite these positive views on election administration, there is significant distrust in government institutions. Less than one in five Texans trust the federal government to act correctly most of the time. Trust in state government stands at 31%, while local county government trust is slightly higher at 32%.

Gov. Greg Abbott emerged as a popular figure among Texans, with a favorable opinion from 56%. President Donald Trump and Elon Musk also received favorable ratings from more than half of respondents.

Mark P. Jones from Rice University's Baker Institute noted that "More than half, 56%, of Texans have a favorable opinion of Abbott." He added that President Trump has a similar favorability rating but with a higher proportion holding an unfavorable view.

The survey further highlighted generational and partisan divides regarding national sentiment. A significant portion believes that things in the United States are on the wrong track.

The report also touched upon other political figures like Attorney General Ken Paxton and U.S. Senator John Cornyn, whose public perceptions were mixed or unfavorable.

Conducted between January 13-21 in both English and Spanish, this survey has a margin of error of +/-2.83%. More details can be found on the Hobby School's website.