Race,Turnout,and Public Policy In the American States

Abstract

We attempt to bridge the conceptual gap between the black politics and state politics literatures by studying the effect of racial differences in elec toral participation on public policy. If state politics has considered whether "voters matter," and black politics has asked whether "black elected officials matter," we attempt to determine if "black voters matter." In particular, we ask whether, and how, the racial composition of the electorate affects state policies. Our results suggest that the greater black participation relative to that of whites, the less liberal are state policies. The implications for democratic theory and black politics are discussed.