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Election Laws, Mobilization, and Turnout: The Unanticipated Consequences of Election Reform

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Listed:
  • Barry C. Burden
  • David T. Canon
  • Kenneth R. Mayer
  • Donald P. Moynihan

Abstract

State governments have experimented with a variety of election laws to make voting more convenient and increase turnout. The impacts of these reforms vary in surprising ways, providing insight into the mechanisms by which states can encourage or reduce turnout. Our theory focuses on mobilization and distinguishes between the direct and indirect effects of election laws. We conduct both aggregate and individual‐level statistical analyses of voter turnout in the 2004 and 2008 presidential elections. The results show that Election Day registration has a consistently positive effect on turnout, whereas the most popular reform—early voting—is actually associated with lower turnout when it is implemented by itself. We propose that early voting has created negative unanticipated consequences by reducing the civic significance of elections for individuals and altering the incentives for political campaigns to invest in mobilization.

Suggested Citation

  • Barry C. Burden & David T. Canon & Kenneth R. Mayer & Donald P. Moynihan, 2014. "Election Laws, Mobilization, and Turnout: The Unanticipated Consequences of Election Reform," American Journal of Political Science, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 58(1), pages 95-109, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:wly:amposc:v:58:y:2014:i:1:p:95-109
    DOI: 10.1111/ajps.12063
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    Cited by:

    1. Paul S Herrnson & Michael J Hanmer & Matthew Weil & Rachel Orey, 2022. "The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Election Administration, Voting Options, and Turnout in the 2020 US Election," Publius: The Journal of Federalism, CSF Associates Inc., vol. 52(3), pages 452-475.
    2. Angela Cools, 2020. "Parents, Infants, and Voter Turnout," Working Papers 20-04, Davidson College, Department of Economics.
    3. Fize, Etienne & Louis-Sidois, Charles, 2020. "Military service and political behavior: Evidence from France," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 122(C).
    4. Lauren R. Heller & Jocelyne Miller & E. Frank Stephenson, 2019. "Voter ID Laws and Voter Turnout," Atlantic Economic Journal, Springer;International Atlantic Economic Society, vol. 47(2), pages 147-157, June.
    5. repec:spo:wpmain:info:hdl:2441/45gqdl5l4387f9b9l12gr2g3kt is not listed on IDEAS
    6. Mats Ekman, 2022. "Advance voting and political competition," Constitutional Political Economy, Springer, vol. 33(1), pages 53-66, March.
    7. John B. Holbein & D. Sunshine Hillygus, 2017. "Erratum to Making Young Voters: The Impact of Preregistration on Youth Turnout," American Journal of Political Science, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 61(2), pages 505-507, April.
    8. Erard Brian, 2022. "Modeling Qualitative Outcomes by Supplementing Participant Data with General Population Data: A New and More Versatile Approach," Journal of Econometric Methods, De Gruyter, vol. 11(1), pages 35-53, January.
    9. Luis Ricardo Fraga & Ricardo Ramírez & Bernard L. Fraga, 2023. "American Democracy and Voter Suppression," The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, , vol. 708(1), pages 227-242, July.
    10. J. Andrew Harris & Catherine Kamindo & Peter van der Windt, 2020. "Electoral Administration in Fledgling Democracies:Experimental Evidence from Kenya," Working Papers 20200036, New York University Abu Dhabi, Department of Social Science, revised Jan 2020.
    11. Niklas Potrafke & Felix Roesel, 2020. "Opening hours of polling stations and voter turnout: Evidence from a natural experiment," The Review of International Organizations, Springer, vol. 15(1), pages 133-163, January.
    12. André Blais, 2015. "Rational choice and the calculus of voting," Chapters, in: Jac C. Heckelman & Nicholas R. Miller (ed.), Handbook of Social Choice and Voting, chapter 4, pages 54-66, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    13. repec:hal:spmain:info:hdl:2441/45gqdl5l4387f9b9l12gr2g3kt is not listed on IDEAS
    14. Ozdemir, Ugur & Ozkes, Ali & Sanver, Remzi, 2023. "Ability or motivation? Voter registration and turnout in Burkina Faso," OSF Preprints x5wbj, Center for Open Science.
    15. Jean-Victor Alipour & Valentin Lindlacher, 2022. "No Surprises, Please: Voting Costs and Electoral Turnout," CESifo Working Paper Series 9759, CESifo.

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