Competition and Uncontested Seats in U. S. House Elections

Most theories of democracy assume that voters are offered parties, candidates, or issue positions among which to choose in an election. Between 1978 and 1988, 14% of races for the U.S. House of Representatives were uncontested. Although this number represents a drop from the higher figures of two decades ago, it still suggests a significant violation of democratic principles. Probit analysis of data collected on the 1978 to 1984 elections reveals that uncontested races are more likely to occur in districts where the incumbent received a high percentage of the vote in the previous election, where the incumbent is a Democrat, and in the South. A majority of representatives who are unchallenged in one election, however, are opposed in the next campaign. Because the vast majority of House members will face a challenger in some future election, the incentive for representation provided by potential opposition and defeat is maintained.