Buying Voters: The Effect of Financial Incentives on Intentions to Vote

31 Pages Posted: 27 Aug 2013

See all articles by Raymond J. La Raja

Raymond J. La Raja

University of Massachusetts at Amherst - Department of Political Science

Brian F. Schaffner

University of Massachusetts Amherst - Department of Political Science

Multiple version iconThere are 2 versions of this paper

Date Written: 2013

Abstract

This paper explores whether voters will respond to tangible rewards in exchange for voting. First, we use an experimental design with data from the 2011 Cooperative Congressional Election Study to demonstrate that lotteries have the potential to boost turnout significantly for under-represented groups. Second, we analyze observational data from the 2008 election to demonstrate that the small tangible reward of free coffee had a small but statistically significant impact on turnout.

Keywords: Turnout, Social Incentives, Voting, Prospect Theory, Representation

Suggested Citation

La Raja, Raymond J. and Schaffner, Brian F., Buying Voters: The Effect of Financial Incentives on Intentions to Vote (2013). APSA 2013 Annual Meeting Paper, American Political Science Association 2013 Annual Meeting, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2301067

Raymond J. La Raja (Contact Author)

University of Massachusetts at Amherst - Department of Political Science ( email )

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Amherst, MA 01003
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Brian F. Schaffner

University of Massachusetts Amherst - Department of Political Science ( email )

Thompson Hall
Amherst, MA 01003
United States