Redefining representation : the politics of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 /

Bibliographic Details
Main Author:	Longoria, Thomas
Other Authors:	Bond, Jon R. (degree committee member.), Saenz, Rogelio (degree committee member.), Vedlitz, Arnold (degree committee member.), Wood, B. Dan (degree committee member.)
Format:	Thesis Book
Language:	English
Published:	1994.
Subjects:	Election law > United States. Civil rights > United States. Voter registration > United States. Minorities > Suffrage > United States. Major political science. Civil rights. Election law. Minorities > Suffrage. Voter registration. United States. Academic theses
Online Access:	ProQuest, Abstract Link to OAKTrust copy Link to ProQuest copy

Description
Abstract:	The research reported here develops an explanation for dynamic changes in voting rights politics and enforcement. I present a framework of policymaking in which enforcement priorities affect issue definition and agenda dynamics on the local level in ways that ultimately lead to a redefinition of voting rights policy. To evaluate the validity of this argument, I examine federal enforcement decisions and national measures of public attention from 1965 to 1993. I also use secondary sources and personal interviews to examine voting rights politics in three Texas cities. Key findings, that support the framework developed in this dissertation, include: (1) prior to dramatic shifts in the enforcement, non-stochastic triggering events explained agenda dynamics; (2) issue redefinition followed the politicization of enforcement leading to the expansion of a negative issue definition that first emerged on the local level; (3) local government and citizen capacity can be enhanced through federal policymaking.
Item Description:	Vita. "Major subject: Political Science."
Physical Description:	vii, 313 leaves : illustrations ; 28 cm
Bibliography:	Includes bibliographical references.