Race and Turnout: Does Descriptive Representation in State Legislatures Increase Minority Voting?

Rene R. Rocha, Caroline J. Tolbert, Daniel C. Bowen, Christopher J. Clark
2010 Political research quarterly  
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more » ... ment affects voter turnout In this article, the authors move beyond a dyadic conceptualization of empowerment and argue that the level of descriptive representation within the legislative body as a whole is crucial to understanding how context affects voter turnout.They find African Americans and Latinos are more likely to vote when residing in states with increased descriptive representation in the state legislature measured by the percentage of black or Latino lawmakers.
doi:10.1177/1065912910376388 fatcat:ioazv6iqubenbfhckhuseewpb4