Peer-Reviewed
Peer-Reviewed
Does money in politics affect democratic performance? I study the effect of the Supreme Court’s 2010 landmark decision in Citizens United v. FEC, which struck down existing state bans on independent campaign expenditures, on democracy in the U.S. states. Results from a difference-in-differences design suggest that the Citizens United ruling did have a substantial negative effect on state democratic performance, and that this effect is largely independent of the effect of Republican party control identified by previous research. The results suggest that unlimited political spending may pose a threat to the health of democracy in the United States.
Balancing the Electorate: The Differential Turnout Effects of Automatic Voter Registration
Which electoral reforms affect turnout and contribute to a more representative electorate? An emerging theory predicts that reforms affecting the cost of voter registration, in contrast to reforms affecting the cost of submitting a ballot, are most impactful—especially for lower turnout groups such as young people. In this article, I use survey and voter file data to study a new registration-based reform, automatic voter registration (AVR). Difference-in-differences results suggest that the positive turnout effects of AVR are concentrated among younger voters, with those aged 18–24 receiving the largest boost. I also find suggestive evidence that rural voters experience greater turnout gains from AVR than their urban counterparts. In line with previous research on the partisan effects of electoral reforms, I find that AVR does not consistently improve the electoral fortunes of either political party.