Browsing by Author "Lappie, John"

Now showing 1 - 6 of 6
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    2018 Houston Civic Health Index
    (Kinder Institute for Urban Research, 2018) Lappie, John; Coates, Jeff; Matthews, Lisa
    Commissioned by Houston Endowment, this study examines the state of civic health in Greater Houston (the Houston MSA) to better understand civic attitudes and behaviors as well as political participation. The objective of this report is to frame discussions with community leaders and local stakeholders about how to address and improve specific indicators of Greater Houston’s civic health; this report does not offer specific policy recommendations.
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    Mayoral Elections in California: 1995-2014
    (Kinder Institute for Urban Research, 2016) Marschall, Melissa; Lappie, John
    Political observers’ assumptions about local election trends are often based on anecdotes, incomplete observation or simply conventional wisdom. However, the Kinder Institute for Urban Research and its Center for Local Elections in American Politics offer a first-of-its-kind way to analyze elections. In California cities where mayoral elections coincide with the presidential elections, voter turnout is more than double that of cities where mayoral elections are conducted off cycle, LEAP found. This study confirms existing work on the relationship between the timing of elections and turnout but also sheds important new empirical light on the nature and magnitude of this relationship. Policymakers will find this analysis helpful when seeking ways to improve political participation and strengthen local democracy in America.
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    Mayoral Elections in Indiana: 2003-2015
    (Kinder Institute for Urban Research, 2016) Marschall, Melissa; Lappie, John
    Political observers’ assumptions about local election trends are often based on anecdotes, incomplete observation or simply conventional wisdom. However, the Kinder Institute for Urban Research and its Center for Local Elections in American Politics (LEAP) offer a first-of-its-kind way to analyze elections. Several important trends emerge in Indiana. The analysis of election data reveals that more than 20 percent of all mayoral elections in Indiana cities go uncontested. The trend is especially pronounced in the state’s smallest cities. The report also shows that during the study period, there has been a steady decline in turnout in both primary and general elections.
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    Mayoral Elections in Kentucky: 2010-2014
    (Kinder Institute for Urban Research, 2016) Marschall, Melissa; Lappie, John
    Political observers’ assumptions about local election trends are often based on anecdotes, incomplete observation or simply conventional wisdom. However, the Kinder Institute for Urban Research and its Center for Local Elections in American Politics offer a first-of-its-kind way to analyze elections. Mayoral elections in Kentucky, perhaps because they are held in Novembers of even-numbered years, tend to have respectable voter turnout rates. However, there is an alarming lack of competition in Kentucky mayoral elections; well over half of mayoral elections were uncontested between 2010 and 2014. Even when there is more than one candidate, mayoral elections tend not to be close. Kentucky policymakers would be well advised to take steps to rectify this situation.
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    The State of Local Democracy in Houston and Harris County
    (Kinder Institute for Urban Research, 2017) Lappie, John
    The governments of Harris County and the City of Houston have many vital powers, but relatively little is known about the nature of local elections in either jurisdiction. This study attempts to fill this gap by examining the nature of participation, looking at both voters and candidates, in Harris County and Houston local elections. The results indicate that local democracies in Harris County and Houston have many challenges. Relatively few people vote in local elections, a high proportion of local elections are uncontested and both the electorate and the candidate pool fail to reflect the area’s population.
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    Who Runs for Mayor in America?
    (Kinder Institute for Urban Research, 2017) Marschall, Melissa; Lappie, John; Williams, Luke
    Political observers’ assumptions about local election trends are often based on anecdotes, incomplete observation or simply conventional wisdom. However, the Kinder Institute for Urban Research and its Center for Local Elections in American Politics offer a first-of-its-kind way to analyze elections. In this report we examine data on municipal elections in six states — California, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Minnesota and Virginia — to investigate who runs for mayor and the characteristics of those contests. We focus on these states in part because they are states for which we have comprehensive data on mayoral elections over time, but also because they provide a good representation of the regional, demographic and institutional variation of cities in the United states.Several characteristics vary by state across the six states in our analysis: candidate competition, incumbency, and the prevalence of women and minority candidates among mayoral office seekers differ depending on state. Additionally, we find differences in degree of competition, gender, and race across city size and city type. These results provide an in-depth look at the details of mayoral elections across these states and provide the best insight to date about who runs for mayor in America.