Communicating safety precautions can help maintain in-person voter turnout during a pandemic. (February 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Merkley, Eric; Bergeron, Thomas; Loewen, Peter John; Elias, Angelo; Lapp, Miriam
• Is Part Of: Electoral studies. Volume 75(2022)
• Publication Date: 2022-02
• Subjects: Election safety -- Cost of voting -- Voter turnout -- Election administration -- COVID-19; Elections -- Periodicals; Voting -- Periodicals; 324.6
• DOI: 10.1016/j.electstud.2021.102421
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0261-3794

Abstract

Abstract: Scholars have linked cost and life stress to lower voter turnout with clear implications for voting during the COVID-19 pandemic. We ask whether COVID-19 reduces turnout intention and how election agencies can mitigate this effect. We use a series of six survey and conjoint experiments implemented in samples totalling over 28, 000 Canadian respondents collected between July and November of 2020 to show that: 1) priming people to think about COVID-19 reduces turnout intention, especially among those who feel most threatened by the disease; 2) safety measures for in-person voting, such as mandatory masks and physical distancing, can improve safety perceptions and willingness to vote in-person, and 3) providing people information about safety precautions for in-person voting mitigates the negative effect of priming COVID-19. These studies illustrate the importance of both the implementation and communication of measures by election agencies designed to make people safe – and feel safe – while voting in-person.