Does treatment mode matter in studies of the effects candidate race or ethnicity on voting decisions? The assumption implicit most such work is that differences are either small and/or theoretically well understood, so choice how to signal a largely one convenience. But this remains untested. Using nationally representative sample white voting-age citizens and modified conjoint design, we evaluate whether signaling with ethnic labels names results different than ethnically identifiable...

Voters face difficult choices in local elections, where information about candidates is scarce and party labels often do not distinguish candidates’ ideological positions. Can voters choose who represent them ideologically these contexts? To address this question, we conduct original surveys that ask the 2011 mayoral election San Francisco to take positions on policy issues. We their same issues a written exit poll. use construct comparable measures of candidate voter ideology (i.e., ideal...

Abstract With the growth of Latino and Asian American populations, candidates frequently must appeal to diverse electorates. Strategies for doing so include emphasizing candidates’ racial/ethnic identity securing endorsements from groups. While many scholars focus on attributes, ethnic group are understudied. Whether such induce voters choose ideologically similar (spatial voting), or based race/ethnicity (racial voting) is unclear. We address this question by examining elections in...

Political scientists commonly attribute the underproduction of housing in US metropolitan areas to unequal participation and collective action problems. Homeowners, who are organized, repeat players local politics, mobilize against proposed projects nearby, while renters, would benefit from more housing, too diffusely for it may not even vote jurisdiction. Using data two nationally representative surveys urban suburban residents, we posit a further cause shortage: public misunderstanding...

Many legal scholars and political practitioners advocate using election law to increase voters' access information, either by providing such information directly on ballots or in ballot pamphlets. To date, however, little empirical evidence exists guide policymakers judges charged with weighing the benefits of interventions against any costs they might impose. We address this gap conducting survey experiments examine three types that can make available withhold: party endorsements,...

The Supreme Court in Shelby County v. Holder (2013) effectively enjoined the preclearance regime of Voting Rights Act. deemed coverage formula, which determines jurisdictions subject to preclearance, insufficiently grounded current conditions. This Article proposes a new, legally defensible approach based on between-state differences proportion voting age citizens who subscribe negative stereotypes about racial minorities and vote accordingly. new formula could also account for racially...

This Article examines what law can do to enable an electorate comprised of mostly ignorant voters obtain meaningful representation and hold elected officials accountable for the government's performance. Drawing on a half-century research by political scientists, we argue that parties are both key good elections common cause electoral dysfunction. Party labels help rational, low-information providing them with credible, low cost, easily understood signals candidates' ideology policy...

The 1968 Fair Housing Act required local government recipients of federal money to take meaningful actions affirmatively further fair housing (AFFH). Current analysis requirements are copious but do not request an assessment how land use policies affect the potential for neighborhood integration. A recent California law requires governments include AFFH in existing planning processes, and state guidelines encourage measurement spatial distribution planned sites low-income with respect...

How much has rising political attention to problems of housing affordability translated into support for market-rate development? A tacit assumption YIMBY (``Yes In My Backyard'') activists is that more public will engender their policy agenda removing regulatory barriers dense housing. Yet recent research finds the mass little conviction supply would improve affordability, which in turn raises questions about depth supply-side policies relative price controls, demand subsidies, or...

Voter support for anti-development policies contributes to America's acute housing shortage. Prevailing theories of emphasize NIMBYism (opposition nearby) and homeowners' self-interest. We offer an additional explanation drawing on symbolic politics theory. This theory argues that voters have positive or negative affect towards various symbols, often developed early in life; later, they evaluate based their relevant symbols. In line with the theory, we show salient symbols powerfully explain...

It is common to think of political elites—candidates, legislators, party officials, and campaign advisers—as specialists in learning the preferences voters. But recent studies find that elites believe public opinion within legislative districts be more conservative than it actually is, extreme candidates are electable moderates (despite compelling evidence contrary). Campaign staffers overestimate their candidate's electoral prospects. Moreover, natural researcher-designed experiments show...

Since 1980, California has had an ambitious planning framework on the books to make local governments accommodate their fair share of "regional housing need" "for all income levels." The relied, however, a rickety and complicated conveyor belt for converting regional targets into actual production. Superintending was administrative entity, Department Housing Community Development (HCD), whose rules no legal effect, judgments about adequacy government's plan received virtually deference from...

“Racial polarization,” the linchpin issue in so-called vote dilution cases, has traditionally been measured using observational data and methods of ecological inference. However, strategic behavior by voters, potential candidates, other political actors can make it difficult to infer polarization preferences from shares. We present a conjoint stated-preference experiment for investigating racial associated questions about disparate treatment minority candidates. The design yields measures...

This study exploits the introduction of a new type public financing elections—campaign finance vouchers—to estimate effects neighborhood-level political cross-pressure on citizens’ decisions to participate in low-cost activities which vary their publicness: voting (private) and vouchering (public). Does proximity ideologically divergent neighbors affect one’s use publicly disclosed campaign vouchers? We find that cross-pressured individuals are slightly more likely voucher than similarly...