Diverse Political Representation: Financial Barriers to Running for Office

The percentage of local elected officials who are White is higher than the White share of the U.S. population, and this has been the case throughout our country’s history. Yet, few studies have examined the relationship between compensation and candidates’ racial diversity, specifically in small to midsize localities where local elected positions are often volunteer positions. Our research explored whether mayoral and city council candidates are limited to those with enough funds to volunteer, who tend to be Caucasian identifying? Our a priori hypothesis was that paying mayors and city council members is one salient policy solution to encouraging racial diversity among candidates. We analyzed county-archived election data across a sample of 18 small to midsize cities in Oregon that pay their elected officials, noting changes in racial demographics of candidates in the decade prior to implementation of payment and the decade after. We found that, on average, cities saw substantial increases in candidates’ diversity after payment implementation. This article provides straightforward, practical strategies for cities to elect diverse leaders while expanding both the passive and active representation of elected officials.