Women in Local Politics and Municipal Voter Turnout. A Case for Descriptive Representation?

Abstract

This study presents new empirical evidence for the arguments of feminist theorists that underline the need for descriptive representation of women. Using a novel data set, this paper examines the effect of women’s presence in local political office on turnout in council elections in Baden-Württemberg. The analysis of longitudinal data between 1999 and 2019 shows that the presence of female mayors has a positive effect on the participation rate in council elections. Furthermore, the openness of voters to women in political office also plays a role. Especially for parties on the left of the political spectrum, emancipatory and solidarity-based politics, and thus gender balance, play important roles. In municipalities where the Greens and the Left Party achieve higher vote shares in federal elections, the positive effect of descriptive representation of women on voter turnout is greater. In combination with the approximated openness of female voters to female politicians, both the presence of female mayors and the proportion of women in the municipal councils have a positive effect on the level of voter turnout. The positive effect of the presence of women in local political office on turnout is moderated by the openness of voters to female politicians.