| 2008 TEXAS POLITICAL PARTY PLATFORMS | ||
| Texas Democratic Party | Texas Republican Party | |
| Minimum Wage | Workers should be paid a living wage | Repeal the minimum wage & allow |
| & Living wage | w/provision for health care benefits. | free market to set wages. |
| Pensions & | Protect private & public pensions. | Immediate transition to system of private |
| Social Security | Oppose privatization of Social Security | pensions & phase out Social Security tax |
| Health Care, | Guaranteed access to affordable | Support market-based private sector |
| Prescription | universal health care for all Texans. | initiatives to improve health care |
| Drugs & | Allow negotiations to lower drug costs. | affordability. |
| Medical Costs | Restore Adult Medically Needy program | |
| Oppose adding state sales tax to | ||
| food and medicine. | ||
| Child Health | Fully restore original CHIPS program | No position |
| Insurance/CHIPS | & 12 month continuous coverage. | |
| & Pre-natal Care | Support affordable pre-natal care. | |
| Stem Cell | Support research into stem cell | Oppose state funds for human embryo |
| Research | therapies & state funding of stem cell | research. Encourage adoption of |
| research at state universities. | existing embryos. | |
| Public | Support free quality public schools | Fund each child & allow child to attend |
| Education | 100% equitably funded. Oppose public | public, private, or parochial schools. |
| funds for private school vouchers or | Prohibit state regulation of private or | |
| privatization schemes. Increase public | parochial schools. For constitutional | |
| school funding. Maintain/ extend 22:1 | amendment to allow student sponsored | |
| class size limits. | prayer in public schools. | |
| Kindergarten & | Expand access to public | Oppose mandatory pre-school & |
| Pre-Kindergarten | pre-Kindergarten & Kindergarten. | Kindergarten. |
| Higher | Restore 2003 higher education budget | Oppose 10% admission rule. |
| Education | & rollback tuition & fees to affordable | |
| levels. All Texans to have access to | ||
| affordable higher education. | ||
| Voting Rights & | Oppose restrictive voter I.D. law. | Re-register voters every 4 years. Keep |
| Redistricting | Support same day voter registration & | 30 day registration deadline. Require |
| mail-in ballot system open to all voters. | proof of residency & citizenship at | |
| Vigorous enforcement of Voting Rights | registration. Prohibit mobile voting. | |
| Act. Support constitutional amendment | Support govt. issued Voter ID for voting | |
| prohibiting mid-decade redistricting. | in person. When creating voting districts, | |
| oppose identifying citizens by race. | ||