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The Voting Rights Act, District Elections, and the Success of Black Candidates in Municipal Elections

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  • Sass, Tim R
  • Mehay, Stephen L

Abstract

Over the last 20 years blacks and other minority groups have used the Voting Rights Act to challenge the legality of at-large election systems and promote the election of representatives by district. In this article we compare electoral outcomes over time in order to determine the effects of district elections on the success of black city council candidates in municipal elections. Consistent with previous cross-sectional analyses, we find that district elections aided black candidates in the early 1980s. However, our results also show that blacks have achieved substantially greater success in at-large elections over the last 10 years, thereby reducing the difference in representation among cities with different election systems. Our results are robust when interracial demographic differences and possible selection biases are taken into account. We conclude that the diminished efficacy of district elections is likely due to a reduction in the racial polarization of voters. Copyright 1995 by the University of Chicago.

Suggested Citation

  • Sass, Tim R & Mehay, Stephen L, 1995. "The Voting Rights Act, District Elections, and the Success of Black Candidates in Municipal Elections," Journal of Law and Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 38(2), pages 367-392, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:ucp:jlawec:v:38:y:1995:i:2:p:367-92
    DOI: 10.1086/467336
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Filer, John E & Kenny, Lawrence W & Morton, Rebecca B, 1991. "Voting Laws, Educational Policies, and Minority Turnout," Journal of Law and Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 34(2), pages 371-393, October.
    2. Engstrom, Richard L. & McDonald, Michael D., 1981. "The Election of Blacks to City Councils: Clarifying the Impact of Electoral Arrangements on the Seats/Population Relationship," American Political Science Review, Cambridge University Press, vol. 75(2), pages 344-354, June.
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    Cited by:

    1. Salvatore M. De Rienzo Jr., 2022. "Shelby County v. Holder and Changes in Voting Behavior," The American Economist, Sage Publications, vol. 67(2), pages 195-210, October.
    2. Melissa J. Marschall & Anirudh V. S. Ruhil & Paru R. Shah, 2010. "The New Racial Calculus: Electoral Institutions and Black Representation in Local Legislatures," American Journal of Political Science, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 54(1), pages 107-124, January.
    3. Wittman, Donald, 2024. "District versus at-large voting: Why district voting results in worse policy for minorities," European Journal of Political Economy, Elsevier, vol. 81(C).
    4. Tim R. Sass, 2000. "The Determinants of Hispanic Representation in Municipal Government," Southern Economic Journal, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 66(3), pages 609-630, January.

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