Candidacies and Competitiveness in Multimember Districts

Abstract

Multimember districts (MMDs) were widespread in U.S. state legislatures as recently as 1970, yet little information is available about them. We provide information about their frequency, distribution, types, and sizes, the degree to which they are contested, and the extent to which incumbents run in them and are reelected. We then indicate how to calculate vote margins in MMDs. The method is to create pseudo-pairs by matching the Democratic candidate who has the highest vote with the Republican candidate who has the lowest vote, the Democratic candidate who has the second highest vote with the Republican who has the second-lowest vote, and so on.

Publication
Legislative Studies Quarterly