Who Votes
City Election Timing and Voter Composition
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 3320816 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Zoltan L Hajnal (0000-0001-7167-780X, University of California San Diego), Vladimir Kogan (0000-0002-9871-4065, The Ohio State University), G Agustin Markarian (0000-0002-1357-034X, University of California San Diego) |
| Year | 2022 |
| Volume | 116 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 374-383 |
| Publication date | 2022-02-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | American Political Science Review (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0003-0554 • E-ISSN: 1537-5943 |
| Publisher | Cambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1017/s0003055421000915 |
| OpenAlex | W3194316918 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 16 |
| References cited | 15 |
Low and uneven turnout is a serious problem for local democracy. Fortunately, one simple reform-shifting the timing of local elections so they are held on the same day as national contests-can substantially increase participation. Considerable research shows that on-cycle November elections generally double local voter turnout compared with stand-alone local contests. But does higher turnout mean a more representative electorate? On that critical question, the evidence is slim and mixed. We combine information on election timing with detailed microtargeting data that includes voter demographic information to examine how election timing influences voter composition in city elections. We find that moving to on-cycle elections in California leads to an electorate that is considerably more representative in terms of race, age, and partisanship-especially when these local elections coincide with a presidential election. Our results suggest that on-cycle elections can improve local democracy
Democracy · Demographic economics · Economics · Local election · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Presidential election · Presidential system · Turnout · Voter registration · Voter turnout · Voting · Electoral Systems and Political Participation · Fiscal Policies and Political Economy · Law · Public Administration · Social Media and Politics
Election Timing and Local Political Polarization
Policy Solutions
When Cues Collide
The politics of police technology adoption
The bad citizen? Framing non-voting on Twitter during the 2020 U.S. election
Race, Protest, and Political Ambition
How Partisan Are U.S. Local Elections? Evidence from 2020 Cast Vote Records
Alphabet Soup
Who wins when? Election timing and descriptive representation
Age and Homeownership Drive the Local Turnout Gap
What Date Works Best for You? Changes in Electorate Demographics and Policy Priorities in Concurrent Elections
Love Thy (Elected) Neighbor? Residential Segregation, Political Representation, and Local Public Goods
Crowded Out
Voter turnout and selective abstention in concurrent votes
Decentralisation and electoral participation
Does ranked choice Voting Increase voter turnout and mobilization
The Turnout Gap
Who Votes Now?
Election Timing and Public Policy
Are Voters Better Represented
Campaigns, Mobilization, and Turnout in Mayoral Elections
Election Laws, Mobilization, and Turnout
Election Timing, Electorate Composition, and Policy Outcomes
The Policy Consequences of Class Bias in State Electorates
The Perverse Consequences of Electoral Reform in the United States
Estimating the Electoral Effects of Voter Turnout
Becoming a Habitual Voter
Unequal Participation
| Unique citing works | 16 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 5,33 |
| Citation span | 2023 - 2026 (4) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 16 |