Scientific article
OA Policy
English

Does E-Voting Matter for Turnout, and to Whom?

Published inElectoral Studies, vol. 71, 102245
Publication date2020
Abstract

Empirical evidence suggests that e-voting has no measurable effects on turnout. However, existing studies did not look at e-voting effects on the individual level. We innovate by analyzing whether and to what extent the availability of e-voting fosters turnout among specific groups of citizens, and how this influences the equality of participation. To that end, we estimate Bayesian multi-level models on a unique set of official data on citizens' participation covering 30 ballots between 2008 and 2016 in Geneva, Switzerland, which has the most far-reaching experience with e-voting worldwide. Despite the fact that e-voting was added to an easy-to-use form of postal voting, we find that offering e-voting has increased turnout among abstainers and occasional voters. By contrast, the effects of e-voting availability on the equality of participation are mixed with respect to the age cohorts and gender.

Keywords
  • Turnout
  • Participation
  • Internet voting
  • E-voting
  • Direct democracy
Citation (ISO format)
PETITPAS, Adrien, JAQUET, Julien Matthieu, SCIARINI, Pascal. Does E-Voting Matter for Turnout, and to Whom? In: Electoral Studies, 2020, vol. 71, p. 102245. doi: 10.1016/j.electstud.2020.102245
Main files (2)
Article (Accepted version)
Article (Published version)
Identifiers
Journal ISSN0261-3794
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1153downloads

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