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Divergent Electoral Policies: Why Some States Increase Ballot Access

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 November 2022

Kelly B. Smith Open the ORCID record for Kelly B. Smith [Opens in a new window] ,
David Hill  and
Slavina Ancheva
Kelly B. Smith*
Affiliation:
Political Science, Stetson University, DeLand, FL, USA
David Hill
Affiliation:
Political Science, Stetson University, DeLand, FL, USA
Slavina Ancheva
Affiliation:
Political Science, Stetson University, DeLand, FL, USA
*
Corresponding author: Kelly B. Smith, email: [email protected]
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Abstract

Why have some states adopted policies expanding ballot access while others have restricted access to the ballot? Since the 1990s, some states have been adopting policies restricting access to the ballot such as requiring identification. At the same time, states have been adopting a variety of registration reforms that lower the barriers to registration and voting. Using an original, 45-state dataset, we examine state innovation within the policy domain of electoral reforms in US states. We find reforms have an independent and, sometimes, negative effect on the innovation of states in electoral reforms. Next, we use dyad analysis to examine the spread of a single policy: automatic voter registration. We find that the propensity to innovate both within and across a state makes the spread of automatic voter registration more likely. Our paper contributes to the broader understanding of why states adopt electoral reforms.

Keywords

voting reformelectoral politicsballot accesspolicy innovationautomatic voter registration
Type
Original Article
Information
State Politics & Policy Quarterly , Volume 23 , Issue 1 , March 2023 , pp. 26 - 47
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2022. Published by Cambridge University Press and State Politics & Policy Quarterly

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