THE UNITED-STATES-SENATE AND CIVIL-RIGHTS ROLL-CALL VOTES

Much has been made of changes occurring in the U.S. Senate since the 1960s, specifically, the declining importance of Southern regionalism. Research by Rohde and others suggests that changing ideology and partisan composition may bring about an increase in the level of party unity. The research which follows explores these over time changes in the Senate in the context of civil rights votes from 1963 to 1988. Since civil rights has been a principal source of division between Northern and Southern Democrats, changes in the influence of party and region ought to appear. The regression equation includes both constituency characteristics and member characteristics. Results suggest that constituent characteristics provide very little explanation of Senate voting on civil rights. Median income appears as the only important demographic variable. Findings on party and region offer support for the changing nature of Senate voting on civil rights.