Gerrymandering: The Impact of Redistricting on State Legislative Election Voter Participation

Abstract

State legislative elections are increasingly shaped by two factors influencing the prospects of winning a majority: the redistricting cycle and partisan tide elections (Makse 2014). Winning control of the redistricting process offers the prospect of shaping elections for the next decade (Makse 2014). State legislators responsible for drawing new district maps can manipulate district lines for maximum partisan advantage without much fear of judicial obstruction. Little research exists that evaluates the effect gerrymandering has on the individual voter. Hayes and McKee (2009) argue that redistricting severs the ties between constituents and their incumbents, raises information costs, and increases nonvoting levels in U.S. House contests. Research indicates that while the overall effects of redistricting on individual voter turnout appear to be substantively low, the effects of changes in partisan composition in a voter's district that result from gerrymandering can decrease turnout (Hunt, 2018). This dissertation aims to determine the impact of incumbent, partisan, and racial gerrymandering on state legislative voter participation.