Replication Data for: Who Votes: City Election Timing and Voter Composition

Abstract: Low and uneven turnout is a serious problem for local democracy. Fortunately, one simple reform — shifting the timing of local elections so they are held on the same day as national contests — can substantially increase participation. Considerable research shows that on-cycle November elections generally double local voter turnout compared to stand-alone local contests. But does higher turnout mean a more representative electorate? On that critical question, the evidence is slim and mixed. We combine information on election timing with detailed micro-targeting data that includes voter demographic information to examine how election timing influences voter composition in city elections. We find that moving to on-cycle elections in California leads to an electorate that is considerably more representative in terms of race, age, and partisanship — especially when these local elections coincide with a presidential election. Our results suggest that on-cycle elections can improve local democracy.

摘要：选民投票率低迷且分布失衡是地方民主面临的严峻挑战。所幸一项简易改革举措——将地方选举的举办时间调整为与全国性选举同日举行——可显著提升选民参与率。大量研究证实，11月与全国选举同步举行的地方选举，其选民投票率通常为单独举行的地方选举的两倍。但更高的投票率是否等同于更具代表性的选民群体？针对这一核心问题，现有证据既匮乏又存在分歧。本研究将选举时间安排信息与包含选民人口统计特征的精细化微观靶向数据相结合，探究选举时间对城市选举中选民构成的影响。研究发现，加利福尼亚州推行选举同步化改革后，选民群体在种族、年龄与党派倾向性方面的代表性均得到显著提升——尤其当地方选举与总统选举同期举办时。本研究结果表明，与全国选举同步的地方选举能够优化地方民主建设。