Polling Place Closures

The hypotheses are (1) that polling place closures have a negative effect on voter turnout; (2) that counties with a larger minority population experience more polling place closures than counties with a smaller minority population, (2a) especially in states with unified Republican state government; and (3) that the negative effect of polling place closures on voter turnout is larger in counties with a larger minority population. Data on three presidential elections (2008, 2012, and 2016) were gathered from the Election Administration and Voting Survey as well as the Bureau of the Census. It finds no support for H1, showing that polling place closures do not have a significant effect on voter turnout. While polling place closures lead to less physical turnout, they are associated with increases in absentee turnout. It finds mixed results for H2, H2a, and H3.