How support for Latino candidates encourages municipal reforms: evidence from the Local Elections in America Project

Abstract

Scholarship rightfully emphasizes how electoral institutions affect minority representation and policy outcomes. But how do racial and ethnic environments shape institutions? We address this question by examining how support for Latino candidates affects attempts to modify rules regarding governance and elections. To do so, we rely on new data from the Local Elections in America Project and the International City/County Management Association. We find that the percentage of votes that go to Latino candidates, as well as changes over time in Latino vote share, predicts the probability that a reform effort will take place. Both relationships are nonlinear and suggest a high degree of strategic behavior on the part of elite actors within cities.