Minority Turnout and Representation Under Cumulative Voting. An Experiment

58 Pages Posted: 12 Apr 2021 Last revised: 19 Jun 2023

See all articles by Alessandra Casella

Alessandra Casella

Columbia University - Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, Department of Economics; Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR); National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

Jeffrey Guo

Columbia University

Michelle Jiang

Columbia University

Multiple version iconThere are 2 versions of this paper

Date Written: April 2021

Abstract

Under majoritarian election systems, securing participation and representation of minorities remains an open problem, made salient in the US by its history of voter suppression. One remedy recommended by the courts is Cumulative Voting (CV): each voter has as many votes as open positions and can cumulate votes on as few candidates as desired. Theory predicts that CV encourages the minority to overcome obstacles to voting: although each voter is treated equally, CV increases minority's turnout relative to the majority, and the minority's share of seats won. A lab experiment based on a costly voting design strongly supports both predictions.

Suggested Citation

Casella, Alessandra and Guo, Jeffrey and Jiang, Michelle, Minority Turnout and Representation Under Cumulative Voting. An Experiment (April 2021). NBER Working Paper No. w28674, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3824557

Alessandra Casella (Contact Author)

Columbia University - Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, Department of Economics ( email )

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Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR)

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National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

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Jeffrey Guo

Columbia University

Michelle Jiang

Columbia University ( email )

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New York, NY 10027
United States

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