“Electoral Accountability and Representation: A Natural Experiment in State Legislatures,” Michael Pomirchy, Yale

DEMOCRATIC INNOVATIONS WORKSHOP

Abstract: Do voters experience better representation after an election takes place? At the beginning of each decade, after a process of redistricting and reapportionment, the State Senates in Arkansas, Florida, Illinois, and Texas randomize the electoral calendar for the next 10 years across legislative districts. In this design, one can exploit variation across constituencies in the number of elections held. Using an original data set on “witness slips,” which are forms individuals can use to testify on pieces of legislation, I measure the causal effect of elections on responsiveness on individual roll-call votes. This analysis has implications for the study of representation at subnational levels.

Michael Pomirchy is a Postdoctoral Research Associate at Yale University, affiliated with the Democratic Innovations Program at the Institution for Social and Policy Studies (ISPS). He studies American politics, with specific interests in accountability, responsiveness, and elections. He received his Ph.D in Politics from Princeton University in 2022.

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