Who Pays the Price for the Cost of Voting: The Impact of Voting Policies on Presidential Election Turnout, 1996-2016

Abstract

This paper will explore the combined effect of restrictive voting policies­ as measured by the Cost of Voting Index (COVI), a measure developed by political scientists associated with States United Democracy Center and Northern Illinois University—on voter turnout in Presidential elections, paying specific attention to the impact of such policies on minority populations. It will explore the state-level relationships between the cost associated with voting policies and the voter turnout rate of racial groups in presidential elections over the period of 1996 to 2016, examining the question of how voting rights policies influence the turnout rate of minority voters in U.S. presidential elections.