Identifying the Effect of All-Mail Elections on Turnout: Staggered Reform in the Evergreen State

Gerber, Alan S.; Huber, Gregory A.; Hill, Seth J.

doi:10.1017/psrm.2013.5

Cited by 91 publications

(67 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…These numbers are consistent with those found previously, showing robustness across specifications. These results are in the same range as estimates of 2–4 percent found by Gerber, Huber, and Hill (). In addition, our estimated impact of the top‐two primary on voter turnout remains at approximately 16–20 percent when the estimation is done at the race level, as shown in Table .…”

Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 90%

Increasing Voter Participation by Altering the Costs and Stakes of Voting*

Henrickson

Johnson

2019

Social Science Quarterly

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Objectives While many states are increasing the costs of voting through voter identification laws, Washington State has enacted two policies that may increase voter participation. Specifically, as of 2012, the entire state uses a vote‐by‐mail system, reducing the cost of voting. In addition, Washington adopted a top‐two primary format in 2008, increasing the importance of primaries. Methods Using turnout data between 2000 and 2014, we examine the effect of vote‐by‐mail and the top‐two primary format on voter turnout. Results We find that both of these policies have had a positive impact on voter turnout in Washington State primaries, raising turnout to the point where Washington's primary turnout exceeds the general election turnout in other states. Conclusions These results suggest that other states might consider vote‐by‐mail and/or a top‐two primary format to increase voter participation.

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Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 90%

Increasing Voter Participation by Altering the Costs and Stakes of Voting*

Henrickson

Johnson

2019

Social Science Quarterly

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“…VBM has a small but significant effect-on the order of two to four percentage points-on turnout in Washington State (Gerber, Huber, & Hill, 2013). In California, by contrast, VBM-mandated in precincts with a small number of registered voters-is associated with a lower turnout rate (Bergman & Yates, 2011;Kousser & Mullin, 2007).…”

Section: Convenience Votingmentioning

confidence: 96%

Overcoming Voting Obstacles

Miller

Powell

2015

American Politics Research

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We examine the extent to which Americans with disabilities vote at the polls or take advantage of convenience voting reforms relative to voters without disabilities. The Help America Vote Act (2002) sought, in part, to increase polling place accessibility for the voters with disabilities, with a particular focus on those with vision disabilities. We construct two operationalizations of disability from the November Voting and Registration Supplement of the Current Population Survey over eight elections. A multinomial logistic model shows voters with a disability are significantly less likely to vote but are more likely to vote by mail ballot. Early in-person voting reforms have a marginal effect on the voting behavior of voters with disabilities. A matching model reveals adopting no-excuse absentee voting, permanent absentee voting, or both reforms increases the likelihood of voters with a disability casting a mail ballot.

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“…5 Although many scholars assume that lowering the costs of voting will increase turnout (e.g., Downs 1957), most of the literature shows that voter registration reforms (e.g., Wolfinger and Rosenstone 1980) and convenience voting methods, including early in-person voting and no-excuse absentee voting (Bergman and Yates 2011;Gronke et al 2007Gronke et al , 2008Cain, Donovan, and Tolbert 2008), do little to boost turnout (Berinsky 2005;Hanmer 2009). Moreover, convenience reforms tend to exacerbate the turnout gap between the resource rich and resource poor, because these reforms work mainly as substitutes to Election Day voting for those who were already likely to vote, rather than forces that mobilize the least engaged (Berinsky 2005; but see Stein and Vonnahme 2008;and Gerber, Huber, and Hill 2013).…”

Section: Political Reform and Voter Mobilizationmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Impact of E-mail on the Use of New Convenience Voting Methods and Turnout by Overseas Voters: A Field Experiment to Address Their Challenges with New Technology

HanmerMichael¹,

HerrnsonPaul²,

SmithClaire³

2015

Election Law Journal: Rules, Politics, and Policy

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Research on absentee and early voting laws has led many scholars to conclude that these convenience voting methods do little to boost turnout. But most of this work has evaluated these methods well after their implementation and without consideration for how information campaigns about them might alter voter behavior. Voter mobilization research shows that impersonal communications produce little-to-no effect on turnout. But we know much less about how mobilization might influence changes in the method of voting. Using a field experiment during the 2010 midterm primary and general elections in Maryland, we demonstrate that e-mail messages with concise subject lines that appeal to relevant reference groups combined with an easy-to-use electronic absentee ballot delivery system, increase the likelihood that overseas voters will use a new technology when they participate in elections. Our findings have scholarly and practical implications for election reform, campaign communications, and voter mobilization.

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Identifying the Effect of All-Mail Elections on Turnout: Staggered Reform in the Evergreen State

Cited by 91 publications

References 27 publications

Increasing Voter Participation by Altering the Costs and Stakes of Voting*

Increasing Voter Participation by Altering the Costs and Stakes of Voting*

Overcoming Voting Obstacles

The Impact of E-mail on the Use of New Convenience Voting Methods and Turnout by Overseas Voters: A Field Experiment to Address Their Challenges with New Technology

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