Urban Voters

[Page 877]Urban voters live in central cities that are typically more racially diverse than suburbs. They are of particular importance to the social sciences, because municipal voting behavior in urban areas often deviates from the party-driven voting behavior that is common in state and national elections. This entry provides an overview of research conducted on urban voters, considers the effect that racial and ethnic diversity have on voter attitudes and candidate choice in local elections, identifies a set of racial attitudes that influence municipal vote choice, and describes some of the data-related constraints that can make the study of urban voters challenging.