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The Future of Election Administration pp 169–184Cite as

Palgrave Macmillan

Diversity and Descriptive Representation in Election Administration

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Part of the book series: Elections, Voting, Technology ((EVT))

Abstract

Descriptive representation contributes to minority citizen perception that they belong, are welcome, and their interests supported by the street-level bureaucrats that they encounter in public agencies. The importance of descriptive representation in public administration has been established in a variety of administrative spaces. Primarily focusing on public agencies and elected officials, research has suggested that when minority citizens encounter a public servant or are represented by an elected official of the same race, their perception of the organization and the actions of the individual are improved. Where the role of descriptive representation has received little to no consideration is election administration. Given the role that election administrators have historically played as both facilitators and inhibitors of access to the political process, the role of descriptive representation deserves the same consideration it has been given in other public administrative spaces. The chapter presents a discussion of the evolution of representative bureaucracy and descriptive representation in public administration more broadly and concludes with a discussion of descriptive representation in election administration; specifically focusing on poll worker and voter interactions.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Auburn University, Auburn, AL, USA

    Bridgett A. King

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  1. Bridgett A. King
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Correspondence to Bridgett A. King .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Auburn University, Auburn, AL, USA

    Mitchell Brown

  2. Auburn University, Auburn, AL, USA

    Kathleen Hale

  3. Auburn University, Auburn, AL, USA

    Bridgett A. King

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King, B.A. (2020). Diversity and Descriptive Representation in Election Administration. In: Brown, M., Hale, K., King, B. (eds) The Future of Election Administration. Elections, Voting, Technology. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-14947-5_10

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