A Federalist Explanation of Municipal Elections
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15763/issn.2374-7781.1992.13.0.211-229Abstract
This paper suggests that individual voting behavior in municipal elections is most closely associated with voter concern with municipal economic development and basic city services. Redistributive issues and race are, as such, irrelevant in local elections. Candidates for local office should, therefore, avoid such issues and associate themselves with economic growth potential and better provision of services. To test this fiscal federal assertion, a panel survey of registered voters in Houston, Texas, was conducted during the city’s 1985 mayoral election. The findings support the assertion that municipal electoral politics are limited by the very policies with which municipal governments are charged.References
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