Working Paper: NBER ID: w11915
Authors: Ebonya Washington
Abstract: Both Black and White voter turnout increases 2-3 percentage points with each Black Democrat on the ballot. Given the groups' representations in the population, the White response is numerically greater. Whites of both parties are less likely to vote for their parties' candidate when s/he is Black. The turnout findings are not explained away by voter, election, or politician characteristics. However the fact that there is no turnout response to Black Republicans suggests that a perception of Blacks' ideology may be a factor.
Keywords: voter turnout; black candidates; elections
JEL Codes: H0; J15
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| Black democratic candidates (J79) | Increased district-level voter turnout (K16) |
| Black democratic candidates (J79) | Increased black voter turnout (K16) |
| Black democratic candidates (J79) | Increased white voter turnout (K16) |
| Black republican candidates (K16) | No significant increase in voter turnout (K16) |
| Perceived candidate ideology (D79) | Increased voter turnout (K16) |