Tools of Subnational Democratic Subversion: A Taxonomy and Research Agenda

In an era of heightened partisan polarization, subnational officials in the United States have adopted a variety of tools that attenuate the connection between citizen preferences, election results, and policy outcomes. Building on recent scholarship in American and comparative politics, we identify promising avenues for future research on subnational democratic subversion. First, we broaden the list of tools beyond election administration and districting practices, adding undemocratic techniques that operate through the policymaking process. Second, we encourage scholars to shift their focus from the adoption of these tools to their potential durability, which we posit depends partly on the combinations and sequences in which they are adopted. Third, we hypothesize that alternative institutional venues, including direct democracy and judicial elections, can help prevent the entrenchment of undemocratic practices adopted (most commonly) by state legislatures. Such research will illuminate both contemporary trends in the United States and the general connection between federalism and democracy.