Replication Data for: Partisan Strategy and the Adoption of Same-Day Registration in the American States

This study seeks to explain state adoptions of same-day registration, with a focus on determining whether the Democratic (Republican) Party’s support of (resistance to) this impactful voting reform is driven by strategic electoral considerations. I find that states have an increased probability of enacting the reform when legislative Democrats are in the precarious position that comes with having just experienced minority status in one or both chambers. Relatedly, I demonstrate that the presence of a Republican legislature does not make adoption less likely until the size of the Black population reaches a certain threshold. In fact, provided the Black population is small enough, Republican control of the legislature encourages reform. The results offer conflicting evidence, however, that large Latino populations deter the GOP from establishing same-day registration. Considered together, the results cast doubt on the claim that either party’s position is informed by principle alone.

本研究旨在阐释美国各州采纳当日登记投票（same-day registration）制度的动因，重点探究民主党（共和党）对这项影响力显著的选举改革的支持（反对）是否源于战略选举考量。研究发现，当州议会民主党阵营刚在一院或两院沦为少数派而陷入不稳定处境时，该州通过该项改革的概率会显著提升。与之相关的是，本研究表明，在黑人人口规模达到特定阈值之前，共和党掌控州议会并不会降低改革的通过概率；实际上，只要黑人人口规模足够小，共和党掌控议会反而会推动改革落地。不过，研究结果同时提供了相互矛盾的证据：当拉美裔人口规模庞大时，会阻止共和党（GOP）推行当日登记投票制度。综合来看，这些研究结果对“两党立场仅基于原则”这一主张提出了质疑。