Association for Public Policy Analysis & Management

A conventional view of instances where states preempt the legal or managerial autonomy of local governments is that within-state voters attempt to extend their voting franchise into areas where they have non-residency (Vigdor, 2004). This paper investigates this prospect by trying to explain the passage of tax and expenditure limit (TEL) legislation as a function of local ideological diversity. We then seek to determine if the TEL statutes are more binding as a function of the ideological wedge between the local voters and the state median voter. Lastly, we test if local TELs result in further ideological convergence across communities.