CONTESTATION AND TURNOUT IN MULTI‐MEMBER AND SINGLE‐MEMBER DISTRICTS

Abstract

Multi‐member districts have rapidly disappeared from U.S. state legislatures. Two possible consequences of the change from multi‐member districts (MMD) to single‐member districts (SMD) are the reduction in the number of competitive races, and diminished voter turnout. This paper examines the impact of changing from multi‐member districts to single member districts on candidate emergence and voter participation in Florida and South Carolina. In Florida, but not South Carolina, contestation was generally more extensive in MMDs than SMDs. Counties which had higher percentages of contested legislative seats, particularly during the MMD period, had higher levels of overall turnout than did counties in which a smaller proportion of seats was contested. With the adoption of SMDs, legislative contestation is less related to voter turnout, confirming the hypothesis that electoral structures which afford voters multiple opportunities to choose candidates also encourage participation.