Electoral Competition in the American States

1993 ◽  
Vol 87 (4) ◽  
pp. 955-962 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas M. Holbrook ◽  
Emily Van Dunk
Keyword(s):  
Electoral Competition ◽  
State Politics ◽  
The State ◽  
District Level ◽  
Validity And Reliability ◽  
Legislative Elections ◽  
Level Indicator ◽  
American States ◽  
State Legislative Elections ◽  
State Legislative

Electoral competition is a concept that has played a central role in much of the state politics literature. One commonly used indicator of competition in the states is the Ranney index. We offer an alternative indicator of competition, one based on district-level outcomes of state legislative elections. After evaluating both indicators in terms of validity and reliability, the analysis suggests that the district-level indicator is both empirically and intuitively superior as a measure of electoral competition. The implications of this finding are discussed.

Legislative Term Limits and Voter Turnout

2017 ◽  
Vol 17 (4) ◽  
pp. 372-392 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robynn Kuhlmann ◽  
Daniel C. Lewis
Keyword(s):  
Voter Turnout ◽  
Term Limits ◽  
District Level ◽  
Legislative Elections ◽  
State Legislative Elections ◽  
State Legislative ◽  
Electoral Competitiveness ◽  
State Analysis

According to reformers, legislative term limits should increase voter turnout by enhancing electoral competitiveness for legislative seats. However, this claim has been largely untested. The only existing study of the effect of legislative term limits on voter turnout, to date, finds that turnout in California did not increase after the imposition of term limits and may have decreased turnout. Yet, it is unclear whether this result generalizes to other states. This study employs a comparative state analysis of both aggregate turnout and district-level turnout rates in state legislative elections. We find that term limits significantly increase voting rates in state legislative elections.

Presidential Coattails and Midterm Losses in State Legislative Elections

1986 ◽  
Vol 80 (1) ◽  
pp. 45-63 ◽  
Author(s):  
James E. Campbell
Keyword(s):  
House Of Representatives ◽  
Presidential Elections ◽  
State Legislatures ◽  
The State ◽  
Legislative Elections ◽  
Aggregate State ◽  
Midterm Elections ◽  
State Legislative Elections ◽  
State Legislative ◽  
The U.S

The president's party consistently loses partisan control of state legislatures in midterm elections, a pattern similar to the loss of seats in the U.S. House of Representatives in midterms. This study examines presidential coattails as a possible explanation of these losses. Aggregate state legislative election outcomes between 1944 and 1984 in 41 states are examined. The analysis indicates that the president's party gains seats in presidential elections in proportion to the presidential vote in a state, and subsequently loses seats in midterm elections also in proportion to the prior presidential vote in the state. The presidential coattail and the midterm repercussion effects are evident even when gubernatorial coattail effects are introduced, but are fairly modest in states lacking competitive parties.

The State Legislative Elections of 2018: Symposium Introduction

2020 ◽  
Vol 53 (3) ◽  
pp. 427-428
Author(s):  
Carl E. Klarner
Keyword(s):  
The State ◽  
Legislative Elections ◽  
State Legislative Elections ◽  
State Legislative

This symposium consists of six articles that examine the 2018 state legislative elections. The first article by Adam S. Myers sets the stage by highlighting the unprecedented level of contestation in state legislative elections, especially by Democratic candidates.

scholarly journals ‘Race was a motivating factor’: re-segregated schools in the American states

2019 ◽  
Vol 35 (1) ◽  
pp. 75-95 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard Johnson ◽  
Desmond King
Keyword(s):  
Public Education ◽  
School District ◽  
Civil Rights ◽  
State Level ◽  
Legislative Elections ◽  
Segregated Schools ◽  
American States ◽  
Motivating Factor ◽  
State Legislative Elections ◽  
State Legislative

AbstractDuring the Obama presidency, Republicans made major gains in state legislative elections, especially in the South and the Midwest. Republicans’ control grew from 13 legislatures in 2009 to 32 in 2017. A major but largely unexamined consequence of this profound shift in state-level partisan control was the resurgence of efforts to re-segregate public education. We examine new re-segregation policies, especially school district secession and anti-busing laws, which have passed in these states. We argue that the marked reversal in desegregation patterns and upturn in re-segregated school education is part of the Republican Party's anti-civil rights and anti-federal strategies, dressed up in the ideological language of colour-blindness.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document