Press

November 7, 2007

National Survey Explores Race and Gender
in 21st-Century Politics

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More minority officials want U.S. out of Iraq

November 7, 2007

By Martha T. Moore, USA TODAY

A national survey of black, Hispanic and Asian-American local elected officials being released today shows a heavily Democratic group that is more eager to get the United States out of Iraq than the public at large. Read article

UMass Boston Professor to Present Minority Leadership Study

November 7, 2007

A team of political scientists recently completed the Gender and Multi-Cultural Leadership Project, an exploration into how race and gender affects 21st century politics. They will present their findings on Wednesday, November 7 from 2 to 4 p.m. at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, D.C.

Findings from the Gender and Multicultural Leadership Survey: The Future of Governance

November 7, 2007

Who are this nation's Black, Latino, Asian, and American Indian elected officials?
Are their stands on key policy issues similar or quite different?
What paths did they take to reach public office?
Who and what do they see themselves as representing?

Presentation Nov 7, 2007 in the Woodrow Wilson Center for International Scholars,
Ronald Reagan Building, 1300 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C.

The Changing Face of Power

November 1, 2007

THE FACE OF LEADERSHIP is changing the political landscape of the United States, however the nation knows little about elected officials of color. A team of political scientists -- including UNM's Christine Sierra – recently completed the Gender and Multi-Cultural Leadership Project, an exploration into how race and gender affects 21st century politics. They will present their findings on Wednesday, Nov. 7, from 2 to 4 p.m. at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, D.C. Read more

Press Release August 23, 2007

POLITICAL SCIENCE Professor Christine Sierra is the primary investigator in a recent study on the impact of the Voting Rights Act on non-white elected officials, which is featured in the July issue of PS: Political Science & Politics, a journal of the American Political Science Association. The article is also cited in the August 6 issue
of Hispanic Link Weekly Report.

Voting Rights Act Aids Election Of Non-White Officials In US

New research by political scientists examines the significance of the Voting Rights Act for the political representation of people of color and documents "a substantial relationship between the VRA and the election of nonwhite officials at the national, state, and local levels."
Read article in the Philadelphia Record

Press Release - August 6, 2007

Report: Latino Congressional Members Elected from VRA-Covered Jurisdictions

By Maira Garcia
Hispanic Link Weekly Report, Vol. 25, No. 31
August 6, 2007, p. 6.

The 32 Hispanic members of the U.S. House of Representatives who served in the 109th Congress were elected from jurisdictions covered by the Voting Rights Act, according to a study by the Gender and Multi-Cultural Leadership Project.

“It suggests if the VRA were not in place that indeed our Latino elected leadership would be greatly reduced, and it even suggests that there would be no (Latinos) in the U.S. Congress,” said Christine Sierra, principal investigator for the project.

In state elections, 82% of Hispanics elected in 2006 had their districts covered by the VRA. It covered more than 90% of elections for county, municipal and school board officials.

“We were astonished by the overwhelming impact of the VRA in the election of people of color to Congress, state legislatures and local offices,” said Carol Hardy-Fanta, coauthor of the study and director of the Center for Women in Politics & Public Policy at the University of Massachusetts, Boston.

In spite of the progress, the study shows non-white elected officials are still grossly underrepresented at all levels of government. Currently, Hispanics comprise 15.0% of the total U.S. population, but make up only 5.9% of the members of Congress.

The study found that while people of color comprised 31% of the total U.S. population in 2000, congressional representation of officials of color was below 12%.

According to the study’s authors, the lack of representation perpetuates the continued need for the VRA.

“It is not only historically important, but continues to be important for minority political enfranchisement,” Sierra said.

The VRA, first passed in 1965, intended to stem racial discrimination of blacks in elections. Since then, the act has been renewed four times, the last time in July 2006.

The study focused on Sections 5 and 203 of the VRA. Section 5, known as the preclearance provision, requires jurisdictions with a history of discrimination to contact the Department of Justice to make election changes. Section 203 requires voting assistance in languages other than English in certain jurisdictions.

“Latinos benefit from both (kinds of protection),” Sierra said.

The study was published in the July issue of PS: Political Science & Politics, a publication of the American Political Science Association. For more information, visit www.apsanet.org.

Press Release - July 31, 2007

UCSB Professor Studies Voting Rights Act and Election of Non-White Officials

(Santa Barbara, Calif.) – Despite an increase in the number of non-white officials elected in recent decades, people of color continue to be significantly underrepresented at all levels of government. So concludes a study conducted by Pei-te Lien, a professor of political science at the University of California, Santa Barbara.
Read press release

Political scientist examines legislative diversity in new study

By: Don Wycliff
Date: July 31, 2007

The federal Voting Rights Act has been indispensable to the political progress of minority populations in the United States, but they still are severely underrepresented at every level of government, new research by a University of Notre Dame political scientist indicates. Read article

Political study funded

University of New Mexico Political Science Professor Christine Sierra has launched a three-year study on the role of gender and race as it relates to elected officials in the United States. Read more...

Hispanics reshape politics out west

Latino voters could decide the presidency.  They're now the largest ethnic minority group in the U.S. and 14 million are registered to vote. NBC's Tom Brokaw reports from the western U.S., where Hispanics are reshaping politics. Read more...