FIND DATA: By Author | Journal | Sites   ANALYZE DATA: Help with R | SPSS | Stata | Excel   WHAT'S NEW? US Politics | Int'l Relations | Law & Courts
   FIND DATA: By Author | Journal | Sites   WHAT'S NEW? US Politics | IR | Law & Courts
If this link is broken, please report as broken. You can also submit updates (will be reviewed).
Insights from the Field

How Does Partisan Gerrymandering Harm Political Parties Long-Term?


gerrymandering
partisan advantage
regression discontinuity
candidate selection
Voting and Elections
LSQ
2 R files
2 datasets
1 text files
Dataverse
The Impact of Partisan Gerrymandering on Political Parties was authored by Nicholas Stephanopoulos and Christopher Warshaw. It was published by Wiley in LSQ in 2020.

The vote-seat relationship is central to democratic governance, yet the effects of partisan gerrymandering on political parties' long-term health have been understudied. This article examines how districting bias impacts party vitality at multiple levels. We find that when disadvantaged by gerrymandered maps, parties face several negative consequences: candidates are less likely to run for office; those who do run often lack strong qualifications; donors become reluctant contributors; and general voter support declines. These findings demonstrate that excessive partisan advantage in redistricting harms democratic institutions beyond immediate electoral outcomes.

* District Selection: Parties shy away from contested districts due to gerrymandering-induced bias.

* Candidate Recruitment: When candidates run despite unfavorable maps, their qualifications are often weaker.

* Donor Behavior: Gerrymandered advantage discourages donations.

* Voter Choice: Ordinary voters show less support for the disadvantaged party.

data
Find on Google Scholar
Find on JSTOR
Find on Wiley
Legislative Studies Quarterly
Podcast host Ryan