Date of Award
Fall 12-8-2023
Document Type
Honors Thesis
Department/Major
Political Science
First Advisor
Dr. Julia Marin Hellwege
Second Advisor
Dr. Matthew Fairholm
Third Advisor
Dr. Molly Rozum
Keywords
Bipartisanship, Supermajority, Veto-Proof, Minority Party, State Legislatures
Subject Categories
American Politics
Abstract
We ask how partisan (im)balance affects the prevalence of bipartisan legislation in U.S. state legislative bodies. We conducted a quantitative analysis of all fifty state legislative bodies over five years, 2017 to 2022, examining both institutional and individual action. We analyze minority member behavior differences between supermajority and veto-proof legislative bodies as compared to simple majority legislatures. Our work shows that minority party legislators in Democrat supermajority state legislative bodies are more likely to sponsor bipartisan legislation, and the amount of bipartisan legislation sponsored overall in a state legislature is likely to decrease in Republican supermajority state legislative bodies. This has implications for the broader legislative sphere in terms of visibility, partisan platforms, constituency visibility, and personal agenda-setting and goals. It also points to the question of bipartisanship, the benefits and downfalls of this legislative strategy, as well as the conditions in which it exists in a supermajority state legislative body.
Recommended Citation
Gustafson, Ashley R., "Bipartisan Legislation in Supermajority State Legislatures" (2023). Honors Thesis. 308.
https://red.library.usd.edu/honors-thesis/308