Voter Turnout Library
Here you'll find a collection of reports, studies, books, and websites that discuss different aspects of voter turnout.
Factors in Voter Turnout
Benefits of Voting
Voter Participation Gaps
Voter Turnout Trends
Voter Education
Factors in Voter Turnout
Benefits of Voting
Voter Participation Gaps
Voter Turnout Trends
Voter Education
View recent editions of NVEN's monthly voter turnout newsletter, Election Reform and Turnout News.
Factors in Voter Turnout
- Addonzio, Elizabeth. “A Social Approach to Voter Mobilization and Election Day." Yale, 2006.
- Adrich, John H. “Rational Choice and Turnout.” American Journal of Political Science, 1993.
- American Political Science Association. “The Influence of Family Political Discussions on Youth Civic Development.” APSA, 2007.
- American Political Science Association. “The Voting Rights Act and The Election of Nonwhite Officials.” APSA, 2007.
- Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund. “Asian American Vote in 2006.” AALDEF, 2007,
- Barreto, Matthew A. “Si Se Puede! Latino Candidates And Registration.” American Political Science Association, 2007.
- Blakely, Tony. “Socioeconomic Inequality in Voting Participation and Self-Rated Health.” American Journal of Public Health, 2001.
- Borgers, Tilman. “Costly Voting.” The American Economic Review, 2004.
- Brazel, Yorom, & Silberberg, Eugene. “Is the Act of Voting Rational?” Public Choice, 1973.
- Copeland, Cassandra & LaBland, David. “Expressive Voting.” Public Choice, 2002.
- Cox, Gary, Munger, Michael. “Closeness Expenditures and Turnout in 1982 House Elections.” The American Political Science Review, 1989.
- Curtis, John & McDonald, Michael. The Marketplace of Democracy: Electoral Competition And American Politics. Washington, D.C.: Brookings Institution Press, 2006.
- Edlin, Aaron et al.“Voting as a Rational Choice: Why and How People Vote to Improve the Well-Being of Others.” Rationality and Society, 2007.
- Fowler, James. “Altruism and Turnout.” The Journal of Politics, 2006.
- Gimpel, James. “Election Year Stimuli and The Timing of Voter Registration." Party Politics, 2007.
- Goldstein, Daniel. “Subtle Psychology of Voter Turnout.” Social Science Research Network, 2007.
- Green, Donald, Shapiro, Ian. Pathologies of Rational Choice Theory: A Critique of Applications in Political Science. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1994.
- Green, Donald, Shachar, Roni. “Consuetude in Voter Turnout.” Yale, 1999.
- Green, Donald. "Get Out The Vote!“ website.
- Green, Donald. “Voting as a Civic Habit.” Yale, 1999.
- Highton, Benjamin. “Easy Registration and Voter Turnout.” The Journal of Politics, 1997.
- Ellis, Andrew. “Engaging the Electorate Initiatives to Promote Voter Turnout", IDEA, 2006.
- Michelson, Melissa et al. “New Experiments in Minority Voter Mobilization." James Irvine Foundation, 2007.
- Jankowski, Richard. “Buying a Lottery Ticket to Help the Poor: Altruism, Civic Duty, and Self-Interest in the Decision to Vote.” Rationality and Society, 2002.
- Jankowski, Richard. “Altruism and the Decision to Vote: Explaining and Testing High Voter Turnout.” Rationality and Society, 2007.
- Kanazawa, Satoshi. “A Possible Solution to the Paradox of Voter Turnout.” The Journal of Politics, 1998.
- King, David et al. “Mobilizing the Party Faithful.” KSG Faculty Research Working Paper Series, 2004.
- Knack, Stephen. “Drivers Wanted: Motor Voter and the Election of 1996.” PS: Political Science and Politics, 1999.
- Lassen, David Dreyer. “Effect of Information on Voter Turnout.” EPRU Working Paper Series, University of Copenhagen's Institute of Economics, 2004.
- Leighly, Jan, Nagler, Jonathan. “Class Bias in the U.S. Electorate, 1972-2004.” Presented at 2007 Annual Meeting of the Midwest Political Science Association, Chicago, 2006.
- Macedo, Stephen. Democracy at Risk: How Political Choices Undermine Citizen Participation. Washington, D.C.: Brookings Institution Press, 2005.
- McDonald, Michael. “Rocking the House: Competition and Turnout in the 2006 Midterm Election.” The Forum, 2006.
- McDonald, Michael. “The Competitive Problem of Voter Turnout.” Special to washingtonpost.com's Think Tank Town, 2006.
- McIntosh, Hugh. “The Influence of Family Political Discussions on Youth Civic Development." PS: Political Science and Politics, 2007.
- Merrifield, John. “The Institutional and Political Factors that Influence Voter Turnout.” Public Choice, 1991.
- Nickerson, David. “Voter Registration Sites and Doors 2004." 2004.
- Nickerson, David. “Is Voting Contagious: Evidence from Two Field Experiments.” The American Political Science Review, 2008.
- Piven, Frances Fox, Cloward, Richard. Why Americans Don't Vote. Pantheon, 1989.
- Plutzer, Eric. “Becoming a Habitual Voter: Inertia, Resources, and Growth in Young Adulthood.” The American Political Science Review, 2002.
- Powell, G Bingham. “American Voter Turnout in Comparative Perspective.” The American Political Science Review, 1986.
- Reyes, Corinna. “Awakening the Sleeping Giant 21st Century Latino Political Mobilization.” Paper presented at the Mid-West Political Science Association’s Annual Conference, 2006.
- Sigelman, Lee et al. “Voting and Nonvoting A Multi-Election Perspective.” The American Journal of Political Science,1985.
- Silberman, Jonathan, Durden, Garey. “The Rational Theory of Voter Participation: The Evidence from Congressional Elections.” Public Choice, 1975.
- Stein, Robert et al. “Early Voting in Texas: The Impact of Electoral Reform on Party Mobilization.” Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Political Science Association, 2005.
- Student PIRGs. "TextSMS Messaging." 2007.
- Tolbert, Caroline. “The Ballot Measure Citizen Interest Link: Information, Engagement and Participation." Paper prepared for The Impact of Direct Democracy Conference, 2005.
- Wang, Tova Andrea. “Improving Voter Participation.” The Century Foundation, 2006.
- Zimmerman, Marc A. "Further Explorations in Empowerment Theory.” American Journal of Community Psychology, 1992.
Benefits of Voting
- Cebula, Richard J. & Durden, Garey C. “Expected Benefits of Voting and Voter Turnout.” Working Papers 07-06, Department of Economics, Appalachian State University.
- Leighly, Jan, Nagler, Jonathan. “Who Votes Now? And Does it Matter." Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the Midwest Political Science Association, 2007.
- Ornstein, Norman. “Vote or Else." New York Times OP-ED, 2006.
- Sanders, Lynn M. “The Psychological Benefits of Political Participation.” Presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Political Science Association, 2001.
- “Regular Voters, Intermitten Voters and Those Who Don’t: Who Votes, Who Doesn't, and Why.” The Pew Research Center For The People & The Press, 2006.
- “Voting Counts as a Healthy Habit.” WebMD, 2004
- Winter, Nicholas. “Social Capital, Civic Engagement and Positive Youth Development Outcomes.” Edna McConnell Clark Foundation, 2003.
Voter Participaton Gaps
- Campbell Public Affairs Institute. “Inequality and the American Public.” Working Paper 2006-01.
- Hess, Douglas. “Representational_Bias in the 2006 Electorate.” Project Vote: 2007.
- Levinson, Meira. “Civic Achievement Gap." CIRCLE Working Paper #51, 2007.
- Leighly, Jan, and Nagler, Jonathan. “Class Bias in the U.S. Electorate.” Presented at the annual meeting of the American Political Science Association: Philadelphia, 2006.
- Oshyn, Kristen and Wang, Tova Andrea. “Youth Vote 2008.” Century Foundation: 2007.
- Teixeira, Ruy Antonio. The Disappearing American Voter. Washington, D.C.: Brookings Institution Press, 1992.
Voter Turnout Trends
- Daniels, Lindsay. “Latino Electorate Profile and Trends.” National Council of La Raza Latino Empowerment and Advocacy Project, 2007.
- Gimpel, James, and Cho, Wendy Tam. “Getting out the Asian-Pacific-American Vote.” Campaigns and Elections, 2004.
- International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance. “Voter Turnout Since 1945: A Global Report.” IDEA, 2002.
- International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance. “Voter Turnout in Western Europe since 1945.” IDEA, 2004.
- Lopez, Raphael, et al. “Voter Turnout Rates from a Comparative Perspective.” Chapter from "Voter Turnout in Western Europe since 1945," IDEA: 2004.
- McHugh, Jerry. “Gay and Lesbian Voter Turnout Summary.” Community Marketing, Inc., 2007.
- McKee, Seth. “Rural Voters in Presidential Elections 1992-2004.” The Forum, 2007.
- Pew Hispanic Center. “Latinos and 2006 Mid-Term.” 2006.
- Pew Hispanic Center. “The Latino Electorate Analysis of 2006 Election.” 2007.
- Suro, Roberto. “Hispanics in the 2004 Election: Population, Electorate and Voters.” Pew Hispanic Center, 2005.
Voter Education
- CIRCLE. “Experiments in Political Socialization Kids Voting USA as a Model for Civic Education Reform.” Working Paper 49, 2006.
- CIRCLE. “The Civic Mission of Schools.” 2003.
- Fair Vote. “Learning Democracy High School Curriculum.” 2006.
- Owen, Diana. “Citizenship Identify and Civic Education in the US.” Paper presented at the Conference on Civic Education and Politics in Democracies: Comparing
International Approaches to Educating New Citizens, 2004.



