Mexican American Referenda Voting on Urban Economic Development and Governmental Structure Issues: Research Note

The voting behavior of Mexican Americans is compared to that of Anglos on several referenda issues in one city. The referenda votes focus on several issues that theory suggests are central to understanding contemporaryAmerican urban politics: economic development and human services, and governmental structure. The analysis brings together issues of ethnicity, public policy, and governmental structure. The contention that economic development is almost universally popular is not strongly supported by the findings. This is a significant finding relative to an influential theory, one that has not been extensively tested. Another significant finding is the apparent substantial difference between Mexican Americans and Anglos regarding some major urban public policy issues, such as economic development and human services.