Why Roll Calls? a Model of Position-taking in Legislative Voting and Elections

We develop a rationale for position-taking preferences in legislatures using a formal model of legislative vote-buying and elections. In our model, citizens and an interest group are motivated by policy, while legislators are motivated by holding office. The group may attempt to buy legislators’ votes by offering contracts based on their votes. If citizens cannot condition their re-election votes on legislators’ roll calls, then in equilibrium the group will buy its ideal policy and most legislators are voted out of office. If citizens can condition their votes on legislators’ roll calls, then policies are more moderate and more legislators are re-elected. Thus an endogenous preference for position-taking arises in a legislature with public roll calls, and both legislators and citizens will prefer such “open” proceedings ex ante.