Race and the Use of Local Initiatives in American Cities

• Author: Deborah F. DeLong,Jackie A. Filla
• Date: 01 March 2014
• DOI: 10.1177/0160323X13508289
• Published date: 01 March 2014
• Subject Matter: General Interests

General Interest

Race and the Use of Local

Initiatives in American Cities

Jackie A. Filla

1

and Deborah F. DeLong

2

Abstract

This article examines the influence of constituent demographics on the frequency and success of

local initiative contests. We find that local initiatives are more common and more successful in cities

with higher levels of white racial prevalence, but that racial diversity replaces these effects as racially

homogenous cities will qualify and pass more initiatives. We also find that racial diversity interacts

with population size as the most qualified initiatives occur in larger racially homogenous cities. These

findings contribute to our understanding of how modern racial relations in American cities may

impact the growing prevalence of direct democracy in municipal politics.

Keywords

urban politics, race and ethnic politics, direct democracy

Introduction

The initiative process is a form of direct democ-

racy in which the public is empowered to vote

on matters of public policy, effectively advan-

cing their concerns when perceive d gaps exist

between themselves and their elected officials.

While direct democracy is an availab le option

within municipal jurisdictions in forty-six

states, it is not practiced in equal measure. This

observed variability in the quality and quantity

of local initiative campaigns is the subject of

this article, with a specific focus on the impact

of municipality racial composition. This article

seeks to answer the question: does the racial

and ethnic diversity of a city impact political

participation via the local initiative process?

This research aims to identify ‘‘leading indi-

cators’’ for electoral discontent. In other words,

is it possible to associate certain demographic

characteristics with the tendency to make use

of local initiatives? Differences in racialcompo-

sition may have greater potential for perceived

disconnectionfrom the formal electoral process.

As such, the individual and combined effects of

a city’s racial composition, degree of diversity,

and population size could provide helpful

insights regarding where direct democracy

efforts are more likely to be attempted and

succeed over time.

The groups’ rights reformers perspective sug-

gests that greaterinitiative use may occur within

white majority populations, as this approach

may be employed as an end-run around the vot-

ing rights of minorities on local matter (Cronin

1989; Gamble 1997). In contrast, the historical

southern perspective suggests that initiatives

may be more prevalent within majority–minor-

ity locales as an appealing alternative to

1

Mount St. Mary’s College, Los Angeles, CA, USA

2

Chatham University, Pittsburgh, PA, USA

Corresponding Author:

Jackie A. Filla, Mount St. Mary’s College, 12001 Chalon

Road, Los Angeles, CA 90049, USA.

Email: jfilla@msmc.la.edu

State and Local GovernmentReview

2014, Vol. 46(1) 3-12

ªThe Author(s) 2013

Reprints and permission:

sagepub.com/journalsPermissions.nav

DOI: 10.1177/0160323X13508289

slgr.sagepub.com