Explaining Variations in Representational Diversity Through Electoral Districts

• In Event: Candidates, Legislators, and Parties

Abstract

A broadly accepted generalization is that political parties vary systematically when it comes to their ability and willingness to select a diverse slate of candidates. Most research on the electoral representation of women and racialized minorities focuses on characteristics of political parties, including their placement on the ideological spectrum, the presence of an affirmative action policy, or the influence of local party elites (Cheng & Tavits 2011; Farrar & Zingher 2018). However, new research suggests that variation in districts themselves, including their competitiveness and demographic diversity, might lead parties to be more (or less) willing to nominate people of colour or women as candidates for public office (Tolley 2015; Thomas & Bodet 2013). We thus focus on the features of electoral districts. Specifically, we ask if there are Canadian districts where diverse candidates are nominated across political parties, and if so, what features of these districts help to explain their association with more diverse representation? We use a new measure of district power that captures how much variation in election results is attributable to the district itself (and not, say, to voters, political parties, or the national campaign). We expect that when district power is high, all parties will be more likely to nominate more conventional candidates (i.e., white, man, older). But, when district power is lower, other factors, such as a party’s willingness to recruit candidates on the basis of diversity, will provide a more powerful explanation for the emergence of more diverse candidates in a SMP system like Canada.

Authors

• Erin Tolley, University of Toronto

• Melanee Thomas, University of Calgary

• Marc A. Bodet, Universite Laval

• Joanie Bouchard, Laval University