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Reevaluating the Effects of Redistricting on Electoral Competition, 1972–2012

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  25 January 2021

Jamie L. Carson ,
Michael H. Crespin  and
Ryan D. Williamson
Jamie L. Carson
Affiliation:
University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
Michael H. Crespin
Affiliation:
University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, TX, USA
Ryan D. Williamson*
Affiliation:
University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
*
Ryan D. Williamson, University of Georgia, 104 Baldwin Hall, Athens, GA 30602, USA. Email: ryandw10@uga.edu
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Abstract

In this note, we revisit the work of Carson and Crespinto examine the effect of different redistricting plans on competitiveness in U.S. House elections. Similar to the previous results, our probit estimates on an expanded dataset that includes redistricting cycles from 1972 to 2012 reveal that commission and court-drawn districts experience more competition on average than those drawn by legislatures. These results provide additional support for the hypothesis that one way to increase the competitiveness of congressional elections is to allow extra-legislative bodies to draw congressional district boundaries.

Keywords

electionspolitical behaviorredistrictinglegislative politics
Type
Research Article
Information
State Politics & Policy Quarterly , Volume 14 , Issue 2 , June 2014 , pp. 165 - 177
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s) 2014

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