Primary Voters and Primary Voting Laws

Chapter 2 provides an overview of the legal and political integrity issues raised in the 2016 elections. It begins by describing the now normal voting wars between the hyperpolarized parties, lawsuits aimed at shaping the rules for the registration of voters, the conduct of voting, and the counting of ballots. Restrictive voting laws have increased in number and severity in many states with Republican legislatures, and the judiciary itself often divides along partisan lines in determining controversial laws’ legality. The chapter then turns to the troubling escalation in the wars, from candidate Donald Trump’s unsubstantiated claims of fraud and election rigging to Russian (and other) meddling, the rise of “fake news,” and problems with vote-counting machinery and election administration. It concludes by considering the role that governmental and nongovernmental institutions can play in protecting American election administration from internal and external threats and restoring confidence in elections.

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Voting Laws Affecting Visually or Physically Handicapped Persons in Federal Elections

Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness ◽

10.1177/0145482x7206600713 ◽

1972 ◽

Vol 66 (7) ◽

pp. 236-237

Keyword(s):

Physically Handicapped ◽

Voting Laws

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The causal effect of compulsory voting laws on turnout: Does skill matter?

Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization ◽

10.1016/j.jebo.2013.05.008 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 92 ◽

pp. 79-93 ◽

Cited By ~ 27

Author(s):

Laura Jaitman

Keyword(s):

Causal Effect ◽

Compulsory Voting ◽

Voting Laws

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Accessible Elections and Voter Turnout

Accessible Elections ◽

10.1093/oso/9780197537251.003.0004 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 51-68

Author(s):

Michael Ritter

Keyword(s):

Voter Turnout ◽

Presidential Elections ◽

High Quality ◽

Individual Level ◽

Early Voting ◽

Panel Models ◽

Election Administration ◽

Midterm Elections ◽

The Impact ◽

Voting Laws

Chapter 4 evaluates the impact of convenience voting laws (in-person early voting, no-excuse absentee/mail voting, and same day registration) and election administration on individual-level voter turnout change from the 2010 to 2014 midterm elections and the 2008 to 2012 presidential elections using lagged panel models. Results show that non-voters are more likely to become voters when living in states with absentee/mail voting, in-person early voting, same day registration, and high-quality election administration, controlling for other factors. Same day registration is the most important of the three in both midterm and presidential elections, while early voting and absentee/mail voting have the largest effects in midterm elections.

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Why Studying State Voting Laws Is Not Enough

Accessible Elections ◽

10.1093/oso/9780197537251.003.0003 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 31-50

Author(s):

Michael Ritter

Keyword(s):

Voter Turnout ◽

Census Data ◽

Political Interest ◽

Omitted Variables ◽

Early Voting ◽

Election Administration ◽

Disadvantaged Groups ◽

State Adoption ◽

Voting Decisions ◽

Voting Laws

Early studies of the effects of voter laws on turnout often showed that early voting, absentee, and mail voting had limited impacts on voter turnout, with only same day registration consistently linked to higher turnout. Much of the previous research measured these laws in isolation (although most states have combinations of the laws), omitted measurement of election administration, did not account for possible selection bias in state adoption of the laws, focused on overall voter turnout rather than that for disadvantaged groups, and did not measure the effects of the laws on campaign mobilization strategies. Census data used in previous studies omitted variables (e.g., political interest and partisanship) known to influence voting decisions. Building on research from 2000s and 2010s, Chapter 3 emphasizes how causal inference research design and national voter files can lead to more precise estimations of the effects of convenience voting laws and election administration on voter turnout.

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