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Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons™

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Political Science

Western Washington University

Series

1998

Articles 1 - 2 of 2

Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences

Minority Representation Under Cumulative And Limited Voting, Todd Donovan, David Brockington, Shaun Bowler, Robert Brischetto Nov 1998

Minority Representation Under Cumulative And Limited Voting, Todd Donovan, David Brockington, Shaun Bowler, Robert Brischetto

Political Science Faculty Publications

We examine minority representation resulting from modified at-large elections (cumulative and limited voting) used in U.S. localities in the 1990s. Hypotheses about the relative proportionality of descriptive representation under various local election systems are presented and tested. We find that CV/LV elections produced descriptive representation of African-Americans at levels similar to those in larger single-member district places, and at levels that exceed those from some small, southern SMD places. Results for Latino representation are more qualified. Our results offer encouragement for those interested in facilitating minority representation without using the acrimonious process of drawing districts on the basis of races.

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Gender And The Changing Character Of The Washington State Legislature, Megan S. Farr Jan 1998

Gender And The Changing Character Of The Washington State Legislature, Megan S. Farr

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

The study of women in politics is a relatively new field. Western political thought, starting in ancient Greece, has with only a few rare exceptions entertained the idea of a political life wherein women participate equally with men if at all (Darcy, Welch, Clark, p. 2-3). Women were expressly left out in the framing of the United States Constitution. In a letter responding to his wife’s plea to “remember the ladies” in framing the Constitution, John Adams wrote, “Depend upon it. We know better than to repeal our Masculine systems... We have only the Name of Masters, and rather than …

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