Redistricting and Policy Responsiveness to African Americans in the U.S. House

Abstract

Black constituents often receive lower-quality responsiveness from elected officials, particularly white representatives. This issue is exacerbated by partisan gerrymandering, which packs Black voters into districts with high majority populations. This trend has led to heightened concerns about increased vote dilution for minority and Democratic voters. This poses an important question: do legislators respond to shifts in their district’s racial demographics? Using data from before and after the 2010 redistricting cycle, we examine whether MCs engaged in policy responsiveness to Black constituents. Consistent with prior research, MCs did not sponsor or cosponsor more civil rights bills in response to increases in their Black constituency. However, Democratic MCs are more likely to mention civil rights in floor speeches, and Republican MCs are more likely to vote on bills in a manner consistent with LCCR priorities. These findings provide new insight into the representation Black Americans receive in Congress.