Disability, Voter Turnout, and Polling Place Accessibility
Objective. Polling place inaccessibility may contribute to the disability gap in voter turnout, both directly by making voting more difficult for people with disabilities, and indirectly by sending the message that people with disabilities are not expected to participate in the political sphere. We...
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Published in | Social science quarterly Vol. 98; no. 5; pp. 1374 - 1390 |
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Main Authors | , , |
Format | Journal Article |
Language | English |
Published |
Oxford
Wiley (Variant)
01.11.2017
Blackwell Publishing Ltd |
Subjects | |
Online Access | Get full text |
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Summary: | Objective. Polling place inaccessibility may contribute to the disability gap in voter turnout, both directly by making voting more difficult for people with disabilities, and indirectly by sending the message that people with disabilities are not expected to participate in the political sphere. We explore the role of polling place inaccessibility by examining voter turnout and reports of voting difficulties among people with and without disabilities in the 2012 elections. Method. We use the Census Bureau’s Voting and Registration Supplement (VRS) and a newly constructed national household survey following the 2012 elections. Results. Consistent with past findings, the disability turnout gap is reduced but not eliminated when controlling for standard predictors of voter turnout. Nearly, one-third (30 percent) of voters with disabilities reported difficulty in voting at a polling place in 2012, compared to only 8 percent of voters without disabilities. We find that difficulties in voting predict lower perceptions of the influence people with disabilities have in the political process. This in turn is a significant predictor of voter turnout among people with disabilities, supporting the idea that voting difficulties depress turnout. Majorities of people both with and without disabilities said they would prefer voting in person in a polling place in the next election. Conclusion. The results point to the potential role of polling place accessibility in voter turnout, and the gains from wider adoption of best practices to reduce barriers and make the voting process more fully accessible. |
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Bibliography: | One of the surveys upon which this article is based was funded by the U.S. Election Assistance Commission through the Research Alliance for Accessible Voting (RAAV). We received valuable feedback and support from members of RAAV. |
ISSN: | 0038-4941 1540-6237 |
DOI: | 10.1111/ssqu.12373 |