Why are Voting Lines Longer for Urban Voters?

Abstract

There is a growing movement to measure the performance of elections to identify laws or administrative practices that can be improved. To date, these efforts have been used primarily for comparing election administration at the state level. However, election performance measures can also be used to examine local variation, since local election officials have substantial discretion managing elections in their jurisdictions. This study examines data from two national surveys in which voters report on their experiences casting a ballot in the 2008 presidential election. While urban voters are generally not facing third-world voting conditions, the evidence indicates that urban voters contend with a disproportionate share of voting difficulties in the United States. While the evidence does not support a simple explanation for voter waiting times, we do know where long lines, and other voting problems, are most likely to occur: in heavily populated metropolitan areas.

Keywords: election administration, voting experience, local government

JEL Classification: R50