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Keeping Up with the Congressmen: Evaluating Constituents’ Awareness of Redistricting

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  • Christopher N. Lawrence
  • Scott H. Huffmon

Abstract

type="main"> We seek to understand how voters respond to being drawn into a new congressional district: specifically, the new Seventh District of South Carolina created in 2012. We employ data from a survey of voters in the new district, and employ descriptive statistics and logistic regression models to identify whether voters are aware of the new district, whether they expect better representation as a result, and to explain their likely vote choice. We find limited awareness of the new district among voters, despite a competitive election campaign, but nonetheless a broad public understanding that redistricting may lead to more local influence in Congress. Our results suggest that redistricting efforts that ensure the maintenance of communities of interest to preserve voter-representative links, even if that means deviation from a strict “one person, one vote” standard, may be superior from a representational standpoint.

Suggested Citation

  • Christopher N. Lawrence & Scott H. Huffmon, 2015. "Keeping Up with the Congressmen: Evaluating Constituents’ Awareness of Redistricting," Social Science Quarterly, Southwestern Social Science Association, vol. 96(1), pages 65-75, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:socsci:v:96:y:2015:i:1:p:65-75
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    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1111/ssqu.12130
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. M. V. Hood & Seth C. McKee, 2008. "Gerrymandering on Georgia's Mind: The Effects of Redistricting on Vote Choice in the 2006 Midterm Election," Social Science Quarterly, Southwestern Social Science Association, vol. 89(1), pages 60-77, March.
    2. Lublin, David, 1999. "Racial Redistricting and African-American Representation: A Critique of “Do Majority-Minority Districts Maximize Substantive Black Representation in Congress?”," American Political Science Review, Cambridge University Press, vol. 93(1), pages 183-186, March.
    3. Epstein, David & O'Halloran, Sharyn, 1999. "A Social Science Approach to Race, Redistricting, and Representation," American Political Science Review, Cambridge University Press, vol. 93(1), pages 187-191, March.
    4. M. V. Hood & Seth C. McKee, 2010. "Stranger Danger: Redistricting, Incumbent Recognition, and Vote Choice," Social Science Quarterly, Southwestern Social Science Association, vol. 91(2), pages 344-358, June.
    5. Cameron, Charles & Epstein, David & O'Halloran, Sharyn, 1996. "Do Majority-Minority Districts Maximize Substantive Black Representation in Congress?," American Political Science Review, Cambridge University Press, vol. 90(4), pages 794-812, December.
    6. Christian R. Grose, 2005. "Disentangling Constituency and Legislator Effects in Legislative Representation: Black Legislators or Black Districts?," Social Science Quarterly, Southwestern Social Science Association, vol. 86(2), pages 427-443, June.
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    Cited by:

    1. David Niven & Barbara Harris Combs & Carolette Norwood & Kalyn E. Rossiter & Michael E. Solimine, 2022. "The boundaries of confusion: Gerrymandering and racial disparities in state House and congressional district line congruity," Social Science Quarterly, Southwestern Social Science Association, vol. 103(6), pages 1507-1518, November.

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