Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-fscjk Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-23T07:29:08.321Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

A Partisan Model of Electoral Reform: Voter Identification Laws and Confidence in State Elections

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  25 January 2021

Shaun Bowler  and
Todd Donovan
Shaun Bowler
Affiliation:
University of California, Riverside, CA, USA
Todd Donovan*
Affiliation:
Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA, USA
*
Todd Donovan, Department of Political Science, Western Washington University, MS 9082, Bellingham, WA 9825, USA. Email: [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

We propose a model of public response to politicized election reform. In this model, rival partisan elites send signals on the need and consequences of a proposed reform, with partisans in public adopting those positions. We apply this to test how state use of voter identification laws corresponded with public evaluations of the conduct of a state's elections. We find that the relationship between photo identification laws and confidence in state elections was polarized and conditioned by party identification in 2014. Democrats in states with strict photo identification laws were less confident in their state's elections. Republicans in states with strict identification laws were more confident than others. Results suggest strict photo identification laws are failing to instill broad-based confidence in elections, and that the reform could correspond with diminished confidence among some.

Keywords

public opinionpublic policyelectoral systemselection rulespolitical behaviorparties and electionselectoral integrity
Type
Research Article
Information
State Politics & Policy Quarterly , Volume 16 , Issue 3 , September 2016 , pp. 340 - 361
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s) 2016

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Alvarez, R. Michael, and Grofman, Bernard. 2014. Election Administration in the United States: The State of Reform after Bush v. Gore. New York: Cambridge University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Alvarez, R. Michael, Hall, Thad E., and Llewellyn, Morgan H.. 2008. “Are Americans Confident Their Ballots Are Counted?” Journal of Politics 70 (3): 754–66..CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Anderson, Christopher, Blais, Andre, Bowler, Shaun, Donovan, Todd, and Listhaug, Ola. 2005. Losers' Consent: Elections and Democratic Legitimacy. Oxford: Oxford University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Anderson, Christopher, and Tverdova, Yuliya. 2003. “Corruption, Political Allegiances, and Attitudes toward Government in Contemporary Democracies.” American Journal of Political Science 47 (1): 91–109..CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Angus, H. F. 1952. “Note on the British Columbia Election in June 1952.” Western Political Quarterly 5 (4): 585–91..CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ansolabehere, Stephen. 2009. “Effects of Identification Requirements on Voting: Evidence from the Experiences of Voters on Election Day.” Political Science & Politics 42 (1): 127–30..CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ansolabehere, Stephen, and Persily, Nathaniel. 2008. “Vote Fraud is in the Eye of the Beholder: The Role of Public Opinion in the Challenge to Voter Identification Requirements.” Harvard Law Review 121 (7): 1737–74..Google Scholar
Atkeson, Lonna Rae. 2014. “Voter Confidence in 2010: Local, State, and National Elections.” In Election Administration in the United States: The State of Reform after Bush v. Gore, eds. Alvarez, R. Michael and Grofman, Bernard. New York: Cambridge University Press, 102–19.Google Scholar
Atkeson, Lonna Rae, Bryant, Lisa A., Hall, Thad E., Adams, Alex N., Zilberman, Luciana, and Saunders, Kyle L.. 2011. “Considering Mixed Mode Surveys for Questions in Political Behavior: Using the Internet and Mail to Get Quality Data at Reasonable Costs.” Political Behavior 33 (1): 161–78..CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Atkeson, Lonna Rae, Bryant, Lisa A., Hall, Thad E., Sanders, Kyle L., and Michael Alvarez, R.. 2010. “A New Barrier to Participation: Heterogeneous Application of Voter Identification Policies.” Electoral Studies 29 (1): 66–73..CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Atkeson, Lonna Rae, and Saunders, Kyle L.. 2007. “Election Administration and Voter Confidence: A Local Matter?” Political Science & Politics 40 (4): 655–60..CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Banducci, Susan, and Karp, Jeffrey. 1999. “Perceptions of Fairness and Support for Proportional Representation.” Political Behavior 21 (3): 217–38..CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Barreto, Matt A., Nuno, Stephan A., and Sanchez, Gabriel R.. 2009. “The Disproportionate Impact of Voter-ID Requirements on the Electorate—New Evidence from Indiana.” Political Science & Politics 42 (1): 111–16..CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bawn, Kathleen. 1993. “The Logic of Institutional Preferences: German Electoral Law as a Social Choice Outcome.” American Journal of Political Science 37 (4): 965–89..CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bentele, Keith G., and O'Brien, Erin E.. 2013. “Jim Crow 2.0? ‘Why States Consider and Adopt Restrictive Voter Access Policies.‘” Perspectives on Politics 11 (4): 1088–116..CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Birch, Sarah. 2008. “Electoral Institutions and Popular Confidence in Electoral Processes: A Cross-National Analysis.” Electoral Studies 27 (2): 305–20..CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bowler, Shaun, Brunell, Thomas L., Donovan, Todd, and Gronke, Paul. 2015. “Election Administration and Perceptions of Fair Elections.” Electoral Studies 38:1–9. doi:10.1016/j.electstud.2015.01.004.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bowler, Shaun, and Donovan, Todd. 2013. The Limits of Electoral Reform. Oxford: Oxford University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bowler, Shaun, Donovan, Todd, and Karp, Jeffrey. 2006. “Why Politicians Like Electoral Institutions: Self-Interest, Values or Ideology?” Journal of Politics 68 (2): 434–46..CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bullock, Charles III, Hood, M. V., and Clark, Richard. 2005. “Punch Cards, Jim Crow and Al Gore: Explaining Voter Trust in the Electoral System in Georgia, 2000.” State Politics & Policy Quarterly 5 (3): 283–94..CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cain, Bruce E., and Gerber, Elisabeth R.. 2001. Voting at the Political Fault Line. Berkeley: University of California Press.Google Scholar
Cobb, Rachel V., James Greiner, D., and Quinn, Kevin M.. 2010. “Can Voter ID Laws Be Administered in a Race-Neutral Manner: Evidence from the City of Boston in 2008.” Quarterly Journal of Political Science 7 (1): 1–33..CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Commission on Federal Election Reform. 2005. Building Confidence in U.S. Elections (Report of the Commission on Federal Election Reform). Washington, DC: Center for Democracy and Election Managment, American University.Google Scholar
Crawford v. Marion County Election Board. 2008. 533 U.S. 181.Google Scholar
Davidson, Chandler. 2009. “The Historical Context of Voter Photo-ID Laws.” Political Science & Politics 42 (1): 93–96..CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Delli Carpini, Michael X., and Keeter, Scott. 1996. What Americans Need to Know about Politics and Why It Matters. New Haven: Yale University Press.Google Scholar
Donovan, Todd. 2011. “Direct Democracy and Redistricting.” In Redistricting and Reapportionment in the West, eds. Moncrief, Gary F.. Lanham, MD: Lexington Books, 111–35.Google Scholar
Donovan, Todd, and Snipp, Joseph R.. 1994. “Support for Legislative Term Limits in California: Group Representation, Partisanship, and Campaign Information.” Journal of Politics 56 (2): 492–501..CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Elkit, Jorgen, and Reynolds, Andrew. 2002. “The Impact of Election Administration on the Legitimacy of Emerging Democracies.” Commonwealth & Comparative Politics 40 (2): 86–119..CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Elkit, Jorgen, and Reynolds, Andrew. 2005. “A Framework for the Systematic Study of Election Quality.” Democratization 12 (3): 147–62..Google Scholar
Farrell, David M., and McAllister, Ian. 2005. “Australia: The Alternative Vote in a Compliant Political Culture.” In The Politics of Electoral Systems, eds. Gallagher, Michael and Mitchell, Paul. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 79–97.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fund, John H. 2004. Stealing Elections: How Voter Fraud Threatens Our Democracy. New York, NY: Encounter Books.Google Scholar
Grofman, Bernard, and Davidson, Chandler. 1992. Controversies in Minority Voting: The Voting Rights Act in Perspective. Washington, DC: Brookings Institution.Google Scholar
Gronke, Paul, and Hicks, James. 2009. “Reexamining Voter Confidence as a Metric for Election Performance.” Paper presented at the Midwest Political Science Association, Chicago, April.Google Scholar
Hall, Thad E., Quin Monson, J., and Patterson, Kelly D.. 2007. “Poll Workers and the Vitality of Democracy: An Early Assessment.” Political Science & Politics 40 (4): 647–54..CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hall, Thad E., Quin Monson, J., and Patterson, Kelly D.. 2009. “The Human Dimension of Elections: How Poll Workers Shape Public Confidence in Elections.” Political Research Quarterly 62 (2): 507–22..CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hall, Thad E., and Wang, T. A.. 2008. “International Principles for Electoral Integrity.” In Election Fraud: Detecting and Deterring Electoral Manipulation, eds. Michael Alvarez, R., Hall, Thad E., and Hyde, Susan D.. Washington, DC: Brookings Institution Press, 37–49.Google Scholar
Hasen, Richard L. 2012. The Voting Wars: From Florida 2000 to the Next Election Meltdown. New Haven: Yale University Press.Google Scholar
Hibbing, John R., and Theiss-Morse, Elizabeth. 2001. “Process Preferences and American Politics: What the People Want Government to Be.” American Political Science Review 95 (1): 145–53..CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hicks, William D., McKee, Seth C., Sellers, Mitchell D., and Smith, Daniel A.. 2015. “A Principle or a Strategy? Voter Identification Laws and Partisan Competition in the American States.” Political Research Quarterly 68:18–33. doi:10.1177/1065912914554039.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hood, M. V. III, and Bullock, Charles S. III 2012. “Much Ado about Nothing? An Empirical Assessment of the Georgia Voter Identification Statute.” State Politics & Policy Quarterly 12 (4): 394–414..CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hood, M. V. III, and Gillespie, William. 2012. “They Just Do Not Vote Like They Used To: A Methodology to Empirically Assess Election Fraud.” Social Science Quarterly 93 (1): 76–94..CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Karp, Jeffery A. 1995. “Explaining Support for Legislative Term Limits.” Public Opinion Quarterly 59 (3): 373–91..CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Karp, Jeffery A., and Tolbert, Caroline. 2010. “Polls and Elections: Explaining Support for Nationalizing Presidential Elections.” Presidential Studies Quarterly 40 (4): 771–93..CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Key, V. O. 1966. The Responsible Electorate. New York: Vintage Books.Google Scholar
Keyssar, Alexander. 2000. The Right to Vote. New York: Basic Books.Google Scholar
Lupia, Arthur, and McCubbins, Mathew D.. 1998. The Democratic Dilemma: Can Citizens Learn What They Need to Know? Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
McAllister, Ian, and White, S.. 2011. “Public Perceptions of Electoral Fairness in Russia.” Europe-Asia Studies 63 (4): 663–83..CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Minnite, Lorraine C. 2007. The Politics of Voter Fraud. Washington, DC: Project Vote.Google Scholar
Minnite, Lorraine C. 2010. The Myth of Voter Fraud. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press.Google Scholar
National Commission on Federal Election Reform. 2001. To Assure Pride and Confidence in the Electoral Process. Report of the National Commission on Federal Election Reform. Accessed from http://www.sos.wa.gov/documentvault/TheNationalCmsnonFederalElectionReformToAssurePrideandConfidenceintheElectoralProcessAugust2001-1034.pdfGoogle Scholar
Norris, Pippa. 2004. Electoral Engineering: Voting Rules and Political Behavior. New York: Cambridge University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Norris, Pippa. 2014. Why Electoral Integrity Matters. New York: Cambridge University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Overton, Spencer. 2006. Stealing Democracy: The New Politics of Voter Suppression. New York: W.W. Norton.Google Scholar
Steenbergen, Marco R., and Jones, Bradford S.. 2002. “Modeling Multilevel Data Structures.” American Journal of Political Science 46 (1): 218–37..CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Stewart, Charles III 2010. “Losing Votes by Mail.” New York University Journal of Legislation & Public Policy 13 (3): 573–602..Google Scholar
Stewart, Charles III 2014. “What Hath HAVA Wrought? Consequences, Intended and Not, of the Post-Bush v. Gore Reforms.”In Election Administration in the United States: The State of Reform after Bush v. Gore, eds. Alvarez, R. Michael and Grofman, Bernard. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press, 79–101.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Stewart, Charles III 2015. 2014 Survey of the Performance of the American Electorate, Regular Study. Harvard Dataverse, V1. doi:10.7910/DVN/28979.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Stroud, Natalie J. 2008. “Media Use and Political Predispositions: Revisiting the Concept of Selective Exposure.” Political Behavior 30:341–66.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Stroud, Natalie J. 2010. “Polarization and Partisan Selective Exposure.” Journal of Communication 60 (3): 556–76..CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tomz, Michael, Wittenberg, Jason, and King, Gary. 2003. “Clarify: Software for Interpreting and Presenting Statistical Results.” Journal of Statistical Software 8 (1): 1–30..CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tsebelis, George. 1990. Nested Games. Berkeley: University of California Press.Google Scholar
Tyler, Tom. 1988. “What is Procedural Justice? Criteria Used by Citizens to Assess the Fairness of Legal Procedures.” Law & Society Review 22 (1): 103–36..CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Vercellotti, Timothy, and Anderson, David. 2009. “Voter Identification Requirements and the Learning Curve.” Political Science & Politics 42 (1): 117–20..CrossRefGoogle Scholar
von Spakovsky, Hans. 2011. Voter Photo Identification: Protecting the Security of Elections. Legal Memorandum #70 on Legal Issues. Washington, DC: Heritage Foundation.Google Scholar
Wang, Tova Andrea. 2012. The Politics of Voter Suppression: Defending and Expanding Americans' Right to Vote. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ware, Alan. 2002. The American Direct Primary. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wilson, David C., and Brewer, Paul R.. 2013. “The Foundations of Public Opinion on Voter ID Laws: Political Predispositions, Racial Resentment, and Information Effects.” Public Opinion Quarterly 77 (4): 962–84..CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Zaller, John R. 1992. The Nature and Origin of Mass Opinion. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar