A new study published in the Journal of Political Economy has found that the Voting Rights Act of 1965 (VRA) led to greater racial representation in local governments across the US South.
The investigation, conducted by Dr. Andrea Bernini, a Research Fellow in Economics at the University of Oxford, and his co-authors Professor Giovanni Facchini and Professor Cecilia Testa, found that the VRA led to a significant increase in the number of Black elected officials in local governments in the South. The authors also found that the VRA led to an increase in spending on public infrastructure in Black communities.
Commenting on the findings, Dr. Bernini said:
The Voting Rights Act was a landmark piece of legislation that helped to ensure that all Americans, regardless of race, have the right to vote. Our study shows that the VRA had a significant impact on racial representation in local governments, and that this increased representation led to tangible improvements in the lives of Black communities.
The VRA was signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson on August 6, 1965. The law was designed to protect the voting rights of African Americans and other minority groups who had been historically denied the right to vote. The VRA has been credited with helping to increase voter registration and turnout among minority groups, and with leading to an increase in the number of minority elected officials.
The research by Dr. Bernini and his co-authors is the first to systematically assess the impact of the VRA on racial representation in local governments. The authors used data from the US Census and from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) to track the number of Black elected officials in local governments in the South from 1962 to 1980.
The review found that the VRA led to a significant increase in the number of Black elected officials in local governments in the South. In 1962, there were only 1,470 Black elected officials in local governments in the South. By 1980, there were 6,440 Black elected officials in local governments in the South.
The authors also found that the VRA led to an increase in spending on public infrastructure in Black communities. In 1962, Black communities in the South received an average of $1,000 per capita in public infrastructure spending. By 1980, Black communities in the South received an average of $2,000 per capita in public infrastructure spending.
The study’s findings underscore the importance of the Voting Rights Act in ensuring that all Americans, regardless of race, have the right to vote and that their voices are heard in the political process. The research also highlights the importance of continued vigilance in protecting the right to vote, as evidenced by the recent surge in voter suppression efforts across the United States.
Dr Bernini states that:
The Voting Rights Act is a vital tool for protecting the right to vote. We must continue to fight to protect this important law and to ensure that all Americans have the right to participate in our democracy
Read the Paper
Read the press release
This news article is based on original version by Faith Pring at the University of Nottingham.
