Marginal District Essay ⋆ Political Science Essay Examples ⋆ EssayEmpire

A marginal district is a legislative district in which the electorate is closely divided between supporters of opposing parties. The relative electoral fortunes of the parties in marginal districts serve as indicators of national trends, because the narrow margin of victory renders them more susceptible to change than so-called safe seats. These volatile districts also serve as test cases for theories of representation. For example, members of Congress elected from marginal districts seem more likely to be concerned about their electoral future than those elected from safer districts. Thus, marginal members’ activities and success toward securing their seats provide insight into legislative behavior.

The decreasing number of marginal districts—traditionally defined as districts whose representatives have won their seats with less than 55 percent of the vote—has sparked debate among political science scholars. Explanations for this phenomenon include gerrymandering, increased constituency services by incumbents, and declining party affiliation in the electorate, resulting in an increase in the personal vote and incumbency advantage. Other scholars maintain incumbents’ safety is no greater despite the increase in their average vote percentage since the 1960s.

Because the number of marginal districts is ostensibly linked to the number of seats likely to change partisan hands in an election, the decline of these competitive districts has inspired concern among commentators. In this view, an increase in safe seats deadens the electoral impact of shifting public opinion. Other scholars note that razor-thin victories produce a greater number of citizens dissatisfied with election outcomes compared to constituents in more lopsided districts.

Bibliography:

Ansolabehere, Stephen, David Brady, and Morris Fiorina. “The Vanishing Marginals and Electoral Responsiveness.” British Journal of Political Science 22, no. 1 (January 1992): 21–38.
Brunell,Thomas L. “Rethinking Redistricting: How Drawing Uncompetitive Districts Eliminates Gerrymanders, Enhances Representation, and Improves Attitudes toward Congress.” PS: Political Science and Politics 39, no. 1 (January 2006): 77–85.
Jacobson, Gary C. “The Marginals Never Vanished: Incumbency and Competition in Elections to the U.S. House of Representatives, 1952-82.” American Journal of Political Science 31, no. 1 (February 1987): 126–141.

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