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Different Rules, Different Legislators? Direct and Indirect Elections to the U.S. Congress

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  • Joel Sievert

Abstract

I examine whether indirect and direct elections lead to the selection of different types of legislators. My research design, which compares senators to representatives who were elected from statewide districts, takes advantage of two unique features of the nineteenth century congressional districting process. First, some states elected their entire congressional delegation in at-large districts. Second, many states that gained a seat during reapportionment would elect the new representative in a statewide contest rather than redrawing district lines. As a result, there are not only more representatives elected statewide, but they also come from a more diverse set of states than in contemporary elections. Overall, I find that indirectly elected legislators were more comparable to directly elected legislators on some dimensions than prior studies suggest.

Suggested Citation

  • Joel Sievert, 2023. "Different Rules, Different Legislators? Direct and Indirect Elections to the U.S. Congress," Journal of Political Institutions and Political Economy, now publishers, vol. 4(1), pages 1-29–50, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:now:jnlpip:113.00000071
    DOI: 10.1561/113.00000071
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