Voting Hopes or Fears? : White Voters, Black Candidates, and Racial Politics in America

When President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the 1965 Voting Rights Act, he explained that it flowed from ''a clear and simple wrong.'' But a generation later, whites still remain resistant to the election of blacks to public office. That widespread resistance, Keith Reeves illustrates, can be explained in large part by election campaign appeals to whites' racial fears and sentiments. Based on empirical research examining white voters' attitudes towards black candidates and racial framing of campaign news coverage, Voting Hopes or Fears? explosively documents that racial discrimination against black candidates is contemporary, specific, and identifiable. Reeves concludes by outlining possible remedies such as modified at-large voting systems and by defending the practice of race-conscious legislative districting, now under attack by the Supreme Court. Marshaling startling evidence of voting discrimination against black candidates on account of race, and featuring a Foreword by The Honorable A. Leon Higginbotham Jr., Chief Justice Emeritus of the US Court of Appeals, Voting Hopes or Fears? will be mandatory reading for political and social scientists, scholars of racism and African-American Studies, civil rights litigators, journalists, black lawmakers and office-seekers, and general readers interested in the subject of race and politics in American society.

When President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the 1965 Voting Rights Act, he explained that it flowed from a clear and simple wrong. But a generation later, whites still remain resistant to the election of blacks to public office. That widespread resistance, Keith Reeves illustrates, can be explained in large part by election campaign appeals to whites' racial fears and sentiments. Based on empirical research examining white voters' attitudes towards black candidates and racial framing of campaign news coverage, Voting Hopes or Fears? explosively documents that racial discrimination against black candidates is contemporary, specific, and identifiable. Reeves concludes by outlining possible remedies such as modified at-large voting systems and by defending the practice of race-conscious legislative districting, now under attack by the Supreme Court.

Marshaling startling evidence of voting discrimination against black candidates on account of race, and featuring a Foreword by The Honorable A. Leon Higginbotham Jr., Chief Justice Emeritus of the US Court of Appeals, Voting Hopes or Fears? will be mandatory reading for political and social scientists, scholars of racism and African-American Studies, civil rights litigators, journalists, black lawmakers and office-seekers, and general readers interested in the subject of race and politics in American society.

Contents......Page 12 Foreword......Page 14 I: OUR INTRACTABLE PROBLEM......Page 28 1 Race—A Political Lightning Rod......Page 30 2 Voting Discrimination against Black Candidates......Page 42 II: THE EMPIRICAL EVIDENCE......Page 60 3 The Print Press—Making an Issue of Race......Page 62 4 The Persistence of Racial Prejudice in the Electorate......Page 78 5 The Consequences of Cueing Subtle Appeals to Race......Page 93 III: AFFIRMATIVE ACTION AND EQUAL POLITICAL OPPORTUNITY REVISITED......Page 108 6 In Pursuit of a Level Playing Field......Page 110 Appendix A: The Content Analysis Study......Page 130 Appendix B: The 1992 Biracial Election Campaign Study......Page 132 Appendix C: The Voting Rights Act......Page 136 Notes......Page 162 References......Page 172 Table of Cases......Page 189 C......Page 190 J......Page 191 P......Page 192 V......Page 193 Y......Page 194 I. Our Intractable Problem : Race, A Political Lightning Rod ; Voting Discrimination Against Black Candidates -- Ii. The Empirical Evidence : The Print Press, Making An Issue Of Race -- The Persistence Of Racial Prejudice In The Electorate ; The Consequences Of Cueing Subtle Appeals To Race -- Iii. Affirmative Action And Equal Political Opportunity Revisited : In Pursuit Of A Level Playing Field -- Appendices : A. The Content Analysis Study ; B. The 1992 Biracial Election Campaign Study ; C. The Voting Rights Act. Keith Reeves. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 155-171) And Index. Thirty years after the passage of the 1965 Voting Rights Act, whites remain resistant to the election of blacks to public office. This widespread resistance, Keith Reeves illustrates, can be explained in large part by election campaign appeals to whites' racial fears and sentiments.; Through experimental studies, this book provides fresh empirical evidence that the issue of race still pervades the consciousness of American society and prevents blacks from winning elections in districts where whites comprise a majority of the electorate Using experimental studies, this text offers fresh empirical evidence that the issue of race still pervades American consciousness and prevents blacks winning elections in white majority districts. The author explores election campaigns which, he says, appeal to whites' racial fears and sentiments.