The Intersection of Redistricting, Race, and Participation

McKee, Seth C.; Hayes, Danny

doi:10.1111/j.1540-5907.2011.00546.x

Cited by 21 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 72 publications

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“…However, no previous studies come close to evaluating the effect of the percent black district population on electing African American state legislators over such a long period of time (1970s–2010s), and this shortcoming matters since this relationship exhibits significant longitudinal variation. For instance, since the end of the 1960s civil rights movement, southern black enfranchisement has increased (Black and Black 1987; Bullock and Gaddie 2009; Thompson 1982), but as is true of all groups, voter turnout is dynamic (Wolfinger and Rosenstone 1980), and black participation is sensitive to various contextual factors (Brace et al 1995; Fraga 2016a, 2016b; Gay 2001; Hayes and McKee 2012; Keele et al 2017; Keele and White 2019). Additionally, throughout this period most southern whites had come to realign with the Republican Party (Hood, Kidd, and Morris 2012; Valentino and Sears 2005).…”

Section: Black Representation and Republican Lawmakersmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Election of African American State Legislators in the Modern South

Bullock¹,

Hicks

Hood³

et al. 2020

Legislative Studies Qtrly

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This study is the most comprehensive analysis of the election of black state legislators in the American South. We start with the election of Leroy Johnson to the Georgia Senate in 1962, the first African American to win a state legislative seat in the modern South. We also document the election of all subsequent African Americans who were the first to enter their southern state legislative chambers. Next, we assess the factors influencing the election of southern black state legislators from the 1970s through 2015. Because of notable long‐term changes to the southern electorate and alterations in the racial composition of legislative districts, there has been substantial variation in the likelihood of electing black lawmakers. Our final analysis highlights the undeniable reality and broader significance that the increasing share of southern African American state legislators has occurred at the same time that Republican representation has grown at a greater rate.

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Section: Black Representation and Republican Lawmakersmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Election of African American State Legislators in the Modern South

Bullock¹,

Hicks

Hood³

et al. 2020

Legislative Studies Qtrly

Self Cite

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“…Brace and colleagues (1995) and Katherine Tate (1991) found evidence that turnout was affected by the type of district that minority voters found themselves in. Over-packing districts is associated with decreased turnout, and the effects are amplified for Blacks as their population size increases (Hayes and McKee, 2012). Descriptive representation is an important tool in gaining access to government; yet, the evidence suggests that over-packing Blacks into supermajority districts should be avoided.…”

Section: Majority Minority Districts: Tradeoffs In Descriptive and Substantive Representationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Are Majority Minority Districts Too Safe?

Davis

2019

Du Bois Rev.

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How does gerrymandering affect intraparty and interparty electoral competition in state legislatures? Research has shown that electoral competition produces better representation and that descriptive representation positively affects substantive representation or policy outcomes. However, other studies have found an ever increasing incumbency advantage. I argue that the incumbency advantage within Majority Minority Districts is significant and distinct from that of majority White Democrat and Republican districts. I estimate levels of intraparty and interparty competition among Majority Minority Districts, majority White Democrat districts, and majority White Republican districts in the state legislature of Alabama. I use majority White Democrat districts as an intraparty comparison group because of African American’s statistically high support for the Democrat Party. Using three separate measures of competitiveness, I find racial gerrymandering in Alabama has a significant and sui generis negative effect on competition within Majority Minority Districts, compared to majority White districts.

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“…We make use of racially homogenous precincts (see Hayes and McKee, ; McCrary, ) to draw an inference about race and turnout in the Republican contests. In precincts where the Percent Black was equal to or exceeded 90 percent ( n = 108), 0.8 percent of the total VAP participated in the Republican primary.…”

Section: Empirical Narrative On the Significance Of Black Votesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Black Votes Count: The 2014 Republican Senate Nomination in Mississippi*

Hood¹,

McKee

2016

Social Science Quarterly

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Objective This article examines the role of black votes in contributing to the renomination of 36‐year Republican Senator Thad Cochran of Mississippi. In 2014, Senator Cochran faced a formidable primary challenge from State Senator Chris McDaniel, a notably more conservative politician. After narrowly losing the primary, Cochran prevailed in the runoff because enough black voters decided to support him. Methods We use precinct‐level racial data to derive ecological inference estimates of turnout and then employ a racially homogenous precinct analysis to determine the percentage of the black and white vote won by Cochran and McDaniel. Results Our empirical analysis provides convincing evidence that if not for the increase in black voters in the runoff and their overwhelming support for Senator Cochran, his opponent would have ended his lengthy political career. Conclusions Race has always been the centerpiece of politics in the Deep South state of Mississippi. This is an empirical account of an unlikely electoral event that speaks to the importance of the changing state of southern politics and how a marginalized minority population can still play a pivotal role in a region dominated by a white Republican majority.

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The Intersection of Redistricting, Race, and Participation

Cited by 21 publications

References 72 publications

The Election of African American State Legislators in the Modern South

The Election of African American State Legislators in the Modern South

Are Majority Minority Districts Too Safe?

Black Votes Count: The 2014 Republican Senate Nomination in Mississippi*

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