Black and Hispanic Council Representation

Abstract

The authors use black and Hispanic representation on city councils to address the proposition that the size of an elective body is related to minority officeholding in that body. A conceptual framework of the nature of minority representation and the types of differences that council size can make are examined using national survey data for 525 cities. The results support the position that council size does not explain the strength of minority representation but that larger councils provide a greater opportunity for minority incumbency. This effect is strongest in at-large election cities. For blacks, the strongest effect is found for at-large election cities in the South.

The New Racial Calculus: Electoral Institutions and Black Representation in Local Legislatures

“…elected at large rather than from single-member districts (SMD), important exceptions exist (Alozie and Manganaro 1993;Welch 1990;Welch and Karnig 1978). Further, despite similarities in the models and methods employed to study black council and board representation, results suggest that blacks are more proportionally represented on boards (Meier and England 1984;Welch and Karnig 1978).…”

The Relationship between Citizen Involvement in the Budget Process and City Structure and Culture

“…City council members are increasingly elected by districts, however, to enhance minority representation (Alozie & Manganaro, 1993;Ebdon & Brucato, in press;Renner, 1987). Reformers traditionally recommended that these cities appoint a mayor from among the city council and elect city council members at large to represent the interest of the entire community.…”

Are We There Yet? The Voting Rights Act and Black Representation on City Councils, 1981–2006

“…Jones attirbuted this finding to Southern voters and candidates fighting against the prevailing institutional racism embodied by smaller councils, which increased competition for seats and reduced the electoral chances of black candidates. A number of scholars have also argued that larger councils make black power more ''palatable'' to white voters (Alozie and Manganaro 1993;Karnig and Welch 1980;Taebel 1978), increasing whites' willingness to share power, as they lessen the prestige of membership and make each ''share'' of power smaller. Tying this research together with the scholarship detailed above on SMDs, we suspect that cities with SMDs and larger councils would be more likely to elect black council members, particularly when covered by Section 5 (ceteris paribus).…”