February 2014

The Adoption of Electoral Reforms and Ideological Change in the California State Legislature

The Adoption of Electoral Reforms and Ideological Change in the California State Legislature
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Author:
Christian Grose
Publication:
USC Schwarzenegger Institute
Publish date:
February 2014
Type:
Reports

Legislator voting in the California Assembly and the California Senate is examined in two time periods. The first time period is based on legislative roll calls in 2011, before the Citizens Redistricting Commission (CCRC) issued its district maps and before the top-two primary was used; the second time period is based on legislative roll calls in 2013, after the electoral reforms were used in the 2012 elections. By comparing legislator voting records before the electoral reforms (pre-August 2011) and after the electoral reforms (2013), we can see whether the Legislature in office following the implementation of the reforms changed relative to the Legislature before the reforms were implemented.

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