Redrawn, Withdrawn: Effects of Redistricting on the Representative-Constituent Relationship

The disruptive effects of redistricting on mass political behavior remain under-explored. Although studies have assessed how redistricting influences candidate recognition (knowledge) and voter preferences, most of these works have faced considerable data limitations. With detailed geographic indicators and panel data from 2010-2012, the Cooperative Election Study makes it possible to determine "Same" respondents who retain the same incumbent seeking reelection and "Redrawn" respondents who find themselves with a different incumbent running in 2012. We expect that this redistricting-induced classification of Redrawn and Same constituents generates considerable variation in respondents' knowledge, vote choice, as well as concerns about representation. In light of the redistricting occurring after the 2020 Census, our research provides scholars with a richer and clearer picture of the extent to which redistricting alters the behavior and attitudes of the mass electorate.