Determinants of Geographic Voter Participation Rate Differentials: the 2014 Mid-Term Election

Richard Cebula (), James Payne and Ira S. Saltz ()
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Ira S. Saltz: Penn State University

Atlantic Economic Journal, 2017, vol. 45, issue 1, No 5, 35-43

Abstract: Abstract Voter participation rates vary widely across the 50 states and the District of Columbia. This empirical study seeks, within the context of a broadened version of the “rational voter model,” to identify determinants of this geographic variation. Using the 2014 mid-term general election, it was found that the voter participation rate across states and the District of Columbia was positively related to whether there is a close governor’s race or a close U.S. Senate race, the female labor force participation rate, the percent of the population aged 65 and over, the number of referenda on the ballot, and the degree of voting-by-mail usage. In addition, it was found that voter turnout was negatively related to the percentages of the population that are either Hispanic or Afro-American.

Keywords: Voter participation rate; Female labor force participation rate; Racial composition; Disenfranchisement; Referenda; Elderly population; Close governor race; Close senate race; Mail-in voting; D72; D78; D10; J21 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2017
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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DOI: 10.1007/s11293-016-9525-3

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