The effect of black congressional representation on political participation

The election of African Americans to Congress is a primary achievement of the post-civil lights transition from protest to politics. I evaluate the link between black congressional representation and political engagement, as measured by voting participation. There are two related objectives. Construct a broader model of participation that takes into account a key component of the political environment since the civil fights era, and more fully appreciate the political significance of minority officeholding by considering its nonpolicy, consequences. Using precinct data from eight midterm elections, I demonstrate that the election of blacks to Congress negatively affects white political involvement and only, rarely, increases political engagement among African Americans.