Electoral Structure and State Legislative Representation: A Research Note

Abstract

Previous research suggests a linkage between the electoral structure of legislative districts and characteristics of those elected. More specifically, studies find that blacks and other geographically concentrated minorities are more successful in single-member districts (SMDs) while women are elected more frequently from multimember districts (MMDs). However, these findings do not control for the urban and rural character of the district. Using data from 10 states, which use some combination of single-member and nonseat designated multimember districts, we compare characteristics of legislators elected from the different district types. We find that nonnative legislators are more likely to represent urban SMDs; educational attainment is a function of the urban/rural nature of the district and is not related to electoral type; and that legislators from SMDs have longer legislative service than those from MMDs. More importantly though, with respect to race and gender, we find compelling evidence that blacks are advantaged by SMDs, especially urban SMDs, and that women are elected more frequently from MMDs, especially urban MMDs.

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