During Michaelmas Term, OxTalks will be moving to a new platform (full details are available on the Staff Gateway).
For now, continue using the current page and event submission process (freeze period dates to be advised).
If you have any questions, please contact halo@digital.ox.ac.uk
The Voting Rights Act (VRA) of 1965 redefined race relations in the United States. Yet, evidence on its effect on African American office-holding remains scant. Using novel data on African American elected officials between 1962 and 1980, we assess the causal impact of the VRA on the racial make-up of local governments in the U.S. South. Exploiting pre-determined differential exposure of southern counties to the mandated federal intervention, we show that the latter fostered local African American office-holding, particularly in the powerful county commissions, controlling local public finances. In the presence of election by district, covered counties experienced African American representation gains and faster capital spending growth.