The fight to vote: voter identification laws and their impact on voter turnout during the 2014, 2016, and 2018 elections
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Date
2020-05-04
DOI
Authors
Levy, Benjamin Stuart
Version
OA Version
Citation
Levy, Benjamin Stuart. The Fight To Vote: Voter Identification Laws and Their Impact on Voter Turnout During the 2014, 2016, 2018 Elections. Boston University. May 2020.
Abstract
"Voter identification (ID) laws were introduced into the American electoral system during the 1970s, but have garnered more widespread attention in recent years and have expanded to over 30 states as of 2018. Critics have claimed that these laws are discriminatory toward several groups of voters. Given the supposed relationship between voter ID laws and voter turnout, a contemporary quantitative analysis of this connection should be examined. This analysis will improve existing election law and voting behavior literature by providing recent analyses and data using a quantitative approach with difference-in-difference regression tests. Using data provided by the Current Population Survey, individual Sectary of State office archives, and county-level election boards, this paper measures county-level voter turnout differences in the 2014, 2016, and 2018 election cycles, while controlling for voter ID law implementation and other state-level demographic variables. I concentrate my tests on states that have applied a voter ID law between 2014 and 2018. This analysis finds that states with voter ID laws impact voter turnout in negative and positive directions, which all suggests a larger strategy to ensure Republican victories in historically competitive states."
Description
License
CC0 1.0 Universal