Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-gbm5v Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-27T09:44:56.522Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Wallet-Based Redistricting: Evidence for the Concentration of Wealth in Majority Party Districts

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  25 January 2021

Justin H. Kirkland
Justin H. Kirkland*
Affiliation:
University of Houston, USA
*
Justin H. Kirkland, University of Houston, 447 Phillip G. Hoffman Hall, Houston, TX 77204 Email: [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

This article examines the role of wealth in the redistricting process in state legislative contests. I argue that the decision by state redistricting mapmakers to pursue a “seatswing” or “protection” strategy involves more than just a choice between where to move partisan voters. Redistricting may also allow parties to consider wealth as an additional resource to be concentrated or dispersed across legislative districts. To test this wealth-based hypothesis, I examine state redistricting plans in California and North Carolina. Logistic regression analyses of census block group exchanges between state legislative districts reveal that income plays a significant role in redistricting decisions.

Keywords

redistrictingstate legislatures
Type
Research Article
Information
State Politics & Policy Quarterly , Volume 13 , Issue 1 , March 2013 , pp. 49 - 69
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s) 2012

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Abramowitz, Alan, Alexander, Brad, and Gunning, Matthew. 2006. “Incumbent, Redistricting, and the Decline of Competition in the U.S. House.” Journal of Politics 68:75–88.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Aldrich, John H. 1995. Why Parties? The Origin and Transformation of Political Parties in America. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ansolabehere, Stephen, de Figueiredo, John M., and Snyder, James M. Jr. 2003. “Why is There so Little Money in U.S. Politics?” Journal of Economic Perspectives 17:105–30.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Basehart, Harry, and Comer, John. 1991. “Partisan and Incumbent Effects in State Legislative Redistricting.” Legislative Studies Quarterly 16:65–79.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Brambor, Thomas, Clark, William Roberts, and Golder, Matt. 2006. “Understanding Interaction Models: Improving Empirical Analyses.” Political Analysis 14:63–82.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Breaux, David A., and Gierzynski, Anthony. 1991. “It's the Money that Matters: Campaign Expenditures and State Legislative Primaries.” Legislative Studies Quarterly 16:429–43.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cain, Bruce. 1985. “Assessing the Partisan Effects of Redistricting.” The American Political Science Review 79:320–33.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Campagna, Janet, and Grofman, Bernard. 1990. “Party Control and Partisan Bias in 1980s Congressional Redistricting.” Journal of Politics 52:1242–57.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Carson, Jamie L., Engstrom, Erik J., and Roberts, Jason M.. 2006. “Redistricting, Candidate Entry, and the Politics of Nineteenth-Century U.S. House Elections.” American Journal of Political Science 50:283–93.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Carson, Jamie L, and Crespin, Michael H.. 2004. “The Effect of State Redistricting Methods on Electoral Competition in United States House of Representatives Races.” State Politics and Policy Quarterly 4:455–69.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cho, Wendy K. Tam, Gimpel, James G., and Dyck, Joshua J.. 2006. “Residential Concentration, Political Socialization, and Voter Turnout.” Journal of Politics 68:156–67.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cox, Gary W., and McCubbins, Mathew D.. 2005. Setting the Agenda: Responsible Party Government in the U.S. House of Representatives. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Crespin, Michael. 2005. Geography and Individual Campaign Contributions to Congressional Candidates. Presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Political Science Association, Washington DC.Google Scholar
Epstein, David, and Zemsky, Peter. 1995. “Money Talks: Deterring Quality Challengers in Congressional Elections.” American Political Science Review 89:295–308.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Francia, Peter L., Green, John C., Herrnson, Paul S., Powell, Lynda W., and Wilcox, Clyde. 2003. The Financiers of Congressional Elections. New York, NY: Columbia University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gelman, Andrew, and King, Gary. 1994a. “Enhancing Democracy Through Legislative Redistricting.” American Political Science Review 88:541–59.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gelman, Andrew, and King, Gary. 1994b. “A Unified Method of Evaluating Electoral Systems and Redistricting Plans.” American Journal of Political Science 38:514–54.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gimpel, James, Lee, Frances E., and Kaminski, Joshua. 2006. “The Political Geography of Campaign Contributions in American Politics.” Journal of Politics 68 : 626–39.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gimpel, James, Lee, Frances E., and Pearson-Merkowitz, Shanna. 2008. “The Check is in the Mail: Interdistrict Funding Flows in Congressional Elections.” American Journal of Political Science 52:324–46.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gopoian, David, and West, Darrell. 1984. “Trading Security for Seats: Strategic Considerations in the Redistricting Process.” Journal of Politics 46:1080–96.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hayes, Danny, and McKee, Seth C.. 2009. “The Participatory Effects of Redistricting.” American Journal of Political Science 53:1006–23.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Herrnson, Paul S. 1986. “Do Parties Make a Difference? The Role of Party Organizations in Congressional Elections.” Journal of Politics 48:589–615.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jacobson, Gary C. 1985. “Money and Votes Reconsidered: Congressional Elections, 1972-1982.” Public Choice 47:7–62.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jacobson, Gary C. 1992. “When Opportunity Knocks No One's Home: The Misallocation of Resources in House Campaigns.” In Congress Reconsidered. 5th ed., eds. Dodd, and Oppenheimer. pp. 115–140. Washington, DC: CQ Press.Google Scholar
Jacobson, Gary C., and Kernell, Samuel. 1983. Strategy and Choice in Congressional Elections. 2nd ed. New Haven: Yale University Press.Google Scholar
King, Gary. 1989. “Representation through Legislative Redistricting: A Stochastic Model.” American Journal of Political Science 33:787–824.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Krehbiel, Keith. 1998. Pivotal Politics: A Theory of U.S. Lawmaking. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McDonald, Michael P. 2004. “A Comparative Analysis of Redistricting Institutions in the United States, 2001-2002.” State Politics & Policy Quarterly 4:371–95.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pritchard, Anita. 1992. “Strategic Considerations in the Decision to Challenge a State Legislative Incumbent.” Legislative Studies Quarterly 17:381–93.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rohde, David. 1991. Party Leaders in the Post Reform House. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Schaffner, Brian F., and Streb, Matthew J.. 2002. “The Partisan Heuristic in Low Information Elections.” The Public Opinion Quarterly 66:559–81.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Schaffner, Brian F., Wagner, Michael W., and Winburn, Jonathan. 2004. “Incumbents Out, Party In? Term Limits and Partisan Redistricting in State Legislatures.” State Politics & Policy Quarterly 4:396–414.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Smith, Steven. 2007. Party Influence in Congress. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Supplementary material: File

Kirkland supplementary material

Dataverse Files

Download Kirkland supplementary material(File)
File 4.7 MB