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Race, Roll‐Off, and the Straight‐Ticket Option
Author(s) -
Feig Douglas G.
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
politics and policy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.259
H-Index - 23
eISSN - 1747-1346
pISSN - 1555-5623
DOI - 10.1111/j.1747-1346.2007.00072.x
Subject(s) - repeal , ticket , white (mutation) , race (biology) , african american , demographic economics , political science , inference , economics , sociology , law , gender studies , computer science , computer security , biochemistry , chemistry , ethnology , artificial intelligence , gene
Analyzing data from three Deep South states, this paper examines roll‐off for lower‐level offices and for referenda proposing repeal of nearly identical state prohibitions against interracial marriage. Applying Ecological Inference, the paper concludes that contrary to the findings of others, African‐American roll‐off was markedly higher than white roll‐off even on the interracial marriage referenda; that roll‐off for both groups was lower on the interracial marriage referenda than on other referenda; and that as expected, black roll‐off exceeded white roll‐off for election to lower‐level offices. The latter finding, however, held only when the straight‐ticket option was not available. When that option was available, African‐American voters were less likely than white voters to roll‐off for lower‐level offices because they were found to make a much greater use of the option. The black–white roll‐off gap was shown to dramatically affect the racial composition of the effective electorate when referenda and lower‐level offices were at issue.