Impact of Battleground States on Early Voting in the U.S.

Abstract

Each year, an increasing number of American citizens choose to participate in the electoral process by casting a ballot prior to the established Election Day. Recently, studies have focused on whether one form of alternative voting, early in-person voting, has increased overall levels of voter turnout in U.S. elections. However, there is a lack of research pertaining to which factors increase the likelihood a citizen will choose to cast their vote early. As status of a state as a battleground state is likely to increase turnout, this thesis contributes to the literature by examining the following research question: Does the number of early voters increase in relation to the total number of voters depending upon whether or not a state is a battleground? This thesis finds support for a relationship between status as a battleground state and the number of early voters such that as a state becomes more competitive electorally, a greater proportion of the voting population opts to vote early.