Stephen Ansolabehere

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Papers by Stephen Ansolabehere

Party Responsiveness and Mandate Balancing

Recent evidence suggests that parties are responsive to elections, adjusting their post-electoral... more Recent evidence suggests that parties are responsive to elections, adjusting their post-electoral policies in the direction of the winner and in proportion to the margin of victory. If voters believe that parties are responsive, then they may have an incentive to vote strategically. Specifically, those who prefer moderate policies have an incentive to engage in mandate balancing, the act of voting for the party expected to lose in order to reduce the margin of victory. Using a nationally-representative sample in the U.S., we test voter beliefs and study the effect of these beliefs on vote choice behavior. We find that many voters believe that parties are responsive to vote share, and this belief causes nonpartisans to be significantly more likely than partisans to vote against the winner as the expected margin of victory increases.

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Incumbency Advantages in U. S. Primary Elections

Electoral Studies, 2007

Primary Elections and Partisan Polarization in the U.S. Congress

Many observers and scholars argue that primary elections contribute to ideological polarization i... more Many observers and scholars argue that primary elections contribute to ideological polarization in U.S. politics. We test this claim using congressional elections and roll call voting behavior. Many of our findings are null. We find little evidence that the introduction of primary elections, the level of primary election turnout, or the threat of primary competition are associated with partisan polarization in congressional roll call voting. We also find little evidence that extreme roll call voting records are positively associated with primary election outcomes. A positive finding is that general election competition exerts pressure toward convergence as extreme roll call voting is negatively correlated with general election outcomes. *

format_quoteEmpirical investigations indicate primary elections have minimal impact on members' voting positions, regardless of primary electorate extremity or competition threats.format_quote

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Partisanship, Public Opinion, and Redistricting

Election Law Journal, Dec 20, 2010

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The Introduction of Voter Registration and Its Effect on Turnout

Voter registration, it is widely argued, raises the costs of voting, thereby decreasing turnout. ... more Voter registration, it is widely argued, raises the costs of voting, thereby decreasing turnout. Studies of turnout across states find that states with later registration dates or election day registration have much higher turnout rates. Eliminating registration barriers altogether is estimated to raise voter participation rates by 5 to 10 percentage points. This paper presents panel estimates of the effects of the introduction of registration that exploits changes in registration laws and turnout within counties. New York imposed registration on all of its counties in 1965; Ohio imposed registration in all of its counties in 1977. We estimate that the imposition of registration on counties that did not have registration in these states decreased participation over the long-term by 3 to 4 percentage points. Though significant, this is lower than estimates of the effects of registration from cross-sectional studies.

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