CUMULATIVE VOTING AND LATINO REPRESENTATION - EXIT SURVEYS IN 15 TEXAS COMMUNITIES

Objective. This study evaluates the application of cumulative voting ( CV) in Texas, where four out of five CV systems in the United States a re located. Methods. We conducted exit polls in fifteen Texas cities a nd school districts that employ cumulative voting and in which Latino candidates ran against Angle candidates in 1995. We received responses from 2,956 Anglo and 624 Latino voters. Results. the system's difficu lty and fairness. Although voting was strongly polarized along ethnic lines, Latinos were able to elect candidates of their choice when the Latino percentage of voters approached threshold-of-exclusion values f or cumulative systems and when they voted cohesively. Conclusions. CV systems provide minority voters with opportunities to elect candidates of their choice, but guarantee no electoral outcomes. Minority voters must be mobilized and vote cohesively to take advantage of the opport unities CV provides. Those implementing CV systems must pay close atte ntion to setting reasonably attainable thresholds.