Descriptive representation is representation based on a qualitative aspect outside of a constituent’s political ideology. Canon summarizes the idea of what qualities are present in descriptive representation, stating “does the member of Congress ‘look like’ the constituent?” The primary factor in descriptive representation is appearance. In contrast, substantive representation is the ideological representation of a constituent. Within the context of Canon’s Race, Redistricting, and Representation, descriptive representation refers to the race and skin color of representatives and their constituents.
Canon argues descriptive representation is important for several reasons. First, descriptive representation provides a “guarantee of political …show more content…
The concept of different behavior of representatives as a result of race is pivotal in Canon’s argument for politics of difference, which Canon states “maintain[s] that only a member of a given race can truly represent the interest of that racial group.” There are several differences in behavior between white and black representatives. First, black representatives, both members of difference and commonality, are far more likely to vote in a manner reflective of the desires of the majority of the members of their race. Canon contended that the difference in voting behavior undermined the “’no racial differences’ hypothesis.” Second, representatives of racial minority group are more likely to sponsor legislation that can be considered to be racial or part-racial in its nature, when compared to white representatives. In contrast, non-symbolic legislation sponsored by white members of the 103rd Congress racial and part-racial legislation was 1.3% and 3.6% respectively. Lastly, black representatives (particularly those who adhere politically to politics of difference) are more likely to have a higher proportion of black staff members working in their offices than white representatives. Canon points to these differences to suggest that representatives of a racial minority will behave differently as a result of race and therefore serve
Canon argues descriptive representation is important for several reasons. First, descriptive representation provides a “guarantee of political …show more content…
The concept of different behavior of representatives as a result of race is pivotal in Canon’s argument for politics of difference, which Canon states “maintain[s] that only a member of a given race can truly represent the interest of that racial group.” There are several differences in behavior between white and black representatives. First, black representatives, both members of difference and commonality, are far more likely to vote in a manner reflective of the desires of the majority of the members of their race. Canon contended that the difference in voting behavior undermined the “’no racial differences’ hypothesis.” Second, representatives of racial minority group are more likely to sponsor legislation that can be considered to be racial or part-racial in its nature, when compared to white representatives. In contrast, non-symbolic legislation sponsored by white members of the 103rd Congress racial and part-racial legislation was 1.3% and 3.6% respectively. Lastly, black representatives (particularly those who adhere politically to politics of difference) are more likely to have a higher proportion of black staff members working in their offices than white representatives. Canon points to these differences to suggest that representatives of a racial minority will behave differently as a result of race and therefore serve