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Which States Adopt Election-Subversion Policies?

Author

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  • Jacob M. Grumbach
  • Charlotte Hill

Abstract

Research highlights a growing divergence among U.S. states in their costs of voting, the partisan balance of their legislative districts, and the responsiveness of state policy to public opinion. Less is known, however, about a new and acute threat to democracy at the state level: policies that increase the states’ vulnerability to election subversion. In this article, we investigate recent trends in state legislation that transfer election administration authority from independent to partisan actors, making it more likely that a losing presidential candidate could take office over the will of the electorate. We find that Republican control of state legislatures and the closeness of the 2020 presidential election are associated with these policies. Interestingly, these policies are mostly uncorrelated with gerrymandering and voter suppression policies that were enacted in the 2010s. We conclude with a discussion of how a recent Electoral Count Act reform in Congress partly mitigates the risk of election subversion.

Suggested Citation

  • Jacob M. Grumbach & Charlotte Hill, 2023. "Which States Adopt Election-Subversion Policies?," The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, , vol. 708(1), pages 243-256, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:anname:v:708:y:2023:i:1:p:243-256
    DOI: 10.1177/00027162241232809
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Malzahn, Janet & Hall, Andrew B., 2023. "Election-Denying Republican Candidates Underperformed in the 2022 Midterms," Research Papers 4076, Stanford University, Graduate School of Business.
    2. Biggers, Daniel R. & Smith, Daniel A., 2020. "Does threatening their franchise make registered voters more likely to participate? Evidence from an aborted voter purge," British Journal of Political Science, Cambridge University Press, vol. 50(3), pages 933-954, July.
    3. M. Keith Chen & Kareem Haggag & Devin G. Pope & Ryne Rohla, 2022. "Racial Disparities in Voting Wait Times: Evidence from Smartphone Data," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 104(6), pages 1341-1350, November.
    4. Arriola, Leonardo R. & Devaro, Jed & Meng, Anne, 2021. "Democratic Subversion: Elite Cooptation and Opposition Fragmentation," American Political Science Review, Cambridge University Press, vol. 115(4), pages 1358-1372, November.
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