Voters often use candidate ethnicity as a shortcut in low-information elections, but partisan cues might shift the weight of ethnic signals. This article examines how partisan information moderates the relationship between co-ethnicity and vote choice in 103 multiethnic, nonpartisan mayoral elections in California (2010–2021). Although party labels are absent from ballots, candidates sometimes publicly signal a partisan affiliation. Using precinct-level election returns and voter registration data, I find that Latino candidates receive greater support as the share of Latino registrants in a precinct increases—but this relationship changes when party information is revealed. When facing a known non-Latino Democrat, Latino candidates receive less support than their nonpartisan counterparts; when facing a known non-Latino Republican, they gain support. These effects are strongest in precincts with more Latino Democrats. The findings highlight how party cues reshape ethnic voting, even without formal partisan labels.
E. Grant Baldwin (Thu,) studied this question.