The effects of ballot initiatives on voter turnout in the American states

With few exceptions, voter turnout continues to decline in the United State s. Although normative theorists, journalists, and defenders of participator y democracy frequently suggest that citizen-initiated ballot measures can i ncrease voter turnout, previous research has not supported this claim. Yet, in the past 25 years, usage of direct democracy has exploded in the United States. Using pooled time series data for the 50 states over a 26-year per iod (1970-1996), we find that the presence and usage of the initiative proc ess is associated with higher voter turnout in both presidential and midter m elections. The disparity in turnout rates between initiative and noniniti ative states has been increasing over time, estimated at 7% to 9% higher in midterm and 3% to 4.5% higher in presidential elections in the 1990s. Our analysis suggests that the initiative process can and does play a positive role in increasing electoral participation.