KALW-FM, CITY VISIONS (SAN FRANCISCO) -- On this show, we looked at the issues facing California and San Francisco as voters go to the polls. If all politics are local, what does this election mean for the Bay Area? Guests include Jason McDaniel, associate professor of Political Science at San Francisco State University and an expert on urban politics and voting behavior.
McDaniel discusses his research on ranked-choice voting, finding that the procedure has a negative effect on votes in favor of female candidates.
“It seems to be white male candidates that are tended to be perceived to be the strong candidates by other candidates, on the Democratic side. The Republican side, there are differences, but it seems they attract more competition — that the women candidates are the weaker candidates for some reason,” McDaniel says. “That seems to be what my research is showing. But also because women are more likely to perceive the barriers to their winning, so fewer women run under the top two than before because they expect they’ll face a tougher race.”