Abstract
This article differentiates between three ways in which electoral cycles may impact on participation in elections. First, it identifies a simultaneity effect - turnout increases to the extent that elections are held on the same date. A second effect is voter fatigue - turnout declines when another election has just been held before. Poll voting is a third effect. It suggests that turnout increases when another election is to be held shortly after. On the basis of a novel dataset that includes 2,915 regional elections held in 317 regions and 18 countries from 1945 to 2009, evidence is found for all three effects. The results point towards a basic dilemma in multilevel electoral systems: increase turnout by holding elections on the same date but accept high vote congruence across elections or decouple election cycles, which decreases vote congruence but lowers participation rates.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 605-623 |
Number of pages | 19 |
Journal | West European Politics |
Volume | 37 |
Issue number | 3 |
Early online date | 28 Apr 2014 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - May 2014 |
Keywords
- EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT ELECTIONS
- INDUSTRIAL DEMOCRACIES
- NATIONAL ELECTIONS
- POLITICAL-SCIENCE-ASSOCIATION
- PRESIDENTIAL-ADDRESS
- UNITED-STATES
- VOTER TURNOUT