Do Symbolic Laws Produce Feedback Effects? The Impact of Second Amendment Sanctuaries on Voter Turnout

Abstract

Changes in substantive policies can have both material and psychological effects on voters' behavior and especially election turnout, an effect scholars call "policy feedback." Existing studies of policy feedback have not considered "symbolic" legislation-that is, policies that affirm values but do not affect benefits or rights. We argue that some symbolic laws can impact voter turnout rates to an observable degree through unobserved psychological mechanisms. The effects can be disparate, encouraging some groups to vote while discouraging others. We test our expectations in the case of Second Amendment Sanctuary (2AS) laws, a symbolic legislation that expresses an absolutist commitment to gun rights. Exploiting the timing of these laws' enactment, we test whether passing 2AS resolutions affected voter turnout among Republicans, Democrats, and African Americans. Using North Carolina voter data between 2016 and 2022, we find that, compared to pre-enactment, 2AS counties experienced a decline in voting among Democrats and Black voters. By contrast, we find no effect among Republicans. We replicate our analysis using national data from the 2016-2022 CES. The models confirm our state-level results but also show a boost in Republican turnout. The results suggest that, despite being symbolic, 2AS resolutions have had a measurable impact on voting patterns.

Keywords: gun policy, voting, second amendment sanctuaries