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Voting by Mail: Turnout and Institutional Reform in Oregon

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  • Sean Richey

Abstract

Objectives. I test the impact of Oregon's vote‐by‐mail system on voter turnout. Methods. To determine the impact, I create a cross‐sectional time‐series regression model of state turnout in presidential elections from 1980 to 2004 and mid‐term elections from 1982 to 2006. Results. I find that Oregon's turnout increases by around 10 percentage points of registered voters in both presidential and mid‐term elections due to the voting‐by‐mail reform. Conclusions. These results suggest that one of the reasons that the United States has comparatively lower turnout is due to its more onerous voting procedures.

Suggested Citation

  • Sean Richey, 2008. "Voting by Mail: Turnout and Institutional Reform in Oregon," Social Science Quarterly, Southwestern Social Science Association, vol. 89(4), pages 902-915, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:socsci:v:89:y:2008:i:4:p:902-915
    DOI: 10.1111/j.1540-6237.2008.00590.x
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. McDonald, Michael P. & Popkin, Samuel L., 2001. "The Myth of the Vanishing Voter," American Political Science Review, Cambridge University Press, vol. 95(4), pages 963-974, December.
    2. Powell, G. Bingham, 1986. "American Voter Turnout in Comparative Perspective," American Political Science Review, Cambridge University Press, vol. 80(1), pages 17-43, March.
    3. Kousser, Thad & Mullin, Megan, 2007. "Does Voting by Mail Increase Participation? Using Matching to Analyze a Natural Experiment," Political Analysis, Cambridge University Press, vol. 15(4), pages 428-445.
    4. Timpone, Richard J., 1998. "Structure, Behavior, and Voter Turnout in the United States," American Political Science Review, Cambridge University Press, vol. 92(1), pages 145-158, March.
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    Cited by:

    1. David H. Folz, 2014. "Vote Centers as a Strategy to Control Election Administration Costs," SAGE Open, , vol. 4(1), pages 21582440145, March.
    2. Seo‐Young Silvia Kim & Akhil Bandreddi & R. Michael Alvarez, 2024. "Partisanship is why people vote in person in a pandemic," Social Science Quarterly, Southwestern Social Science Association, vol. 105(4), pages 1042-1060, July.

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