How Campaign Finance Reform Can Increase Voter Turnout
Low voter turnout is a noteworthy challenge in United States politics. In recent years, the United States has ranked nearly the lowest in voter turnout among developed nations.1 The Decision Lab’s Sanketh Andhavarapu previously explored some of the cognitive biases that may influence voting behavior and argued that traditional “get out the vote” (GOTV) campaigns may fail to mitigate their negative outcomes.
GOTV campaigns are all about telling voters that their voices matter. But polling suggests2,3 voters believe private money and big interests have more power over election outcomes than ordinary citizens do.
In an effort to address these concerns, in 2017, Seattle became the first U.S. city to utilize a campaign finance system called Democracy Vouchers, in which all residents are issued four $25 vouchers to donate to political candidates in local races. In order to be eligible to receive voucher donations, candidates needed to abide by certain campaign criteria, including limiting large campaign contributions and participating in public debates.4
Early results from the program were promising: Voter turnout in Seattle’s first two election cycles where Democracy Vouchers were used was 10% higher than in the two election cycles prior to the launch of the program.5 Behavioral science can help explain why this campaign finance reform gets more people to the polls, and provide valuable insights about how else we can address low voter turnout.
References
- Barber, M., Gordon, D., Hill, R., & Price, J. (2017). Status Quo Bias in Ballot Wording. In Journal of Experimental Political Science (Vol. 4, Issue 2, pp. 151–160). https://doi.org/10.1017/xps.2017.9
- Confessore, N., & Thee-Brenan, M. (2015, June 2). Poll Shows Americans Favor Overhaul of Campaign Financing. New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/03/us/politics/poll shows-americans-favor-overhaul-of-campaign-financing.html
- 4. Pew Research Center. (2018, April 26) The Public, the Political System and American Democracy. Pew Research Center. https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/wp content/uploads/sites/4/2018/04/4-26-2018-Democracy-release-1.pdf
- Seattle Washington Municipal Code. Title 2 – Elections - Chapter 2.04 – Election Campaign Contributions. Accessed via https://library.municode.com/wa/seattle/codes/municipal_code?nodeId=TIT2EL_CH2.04ELCACO_SUBCHAPTER_VIIIHOELSE_2.04.620DEVOIS
- Berk Consulting (2020). Seattle Democracy Voucher Program. 2019 Election Cycle Evaluation. Seattle Ethics and Elections Commission. https://www.seattle.gov/documents/Departments/EthicsElections/DemocracyVoucher/Biennial%20Reports/Final%20DVP%20Evaluation%20Report%20July23_2020.pdf
- Bandura, A. (1989). Human agency in social cognitive theory. The American Psychologist. 44 (9): 1175–1184
- See 5
- See 6
- Hughes, A. (2017, May 17). 5 Facts about U.S. Political Donations. Pew Research Center. https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2017/05/17/5-facts-about-u-s-political-donations/
- Rhoades, C. (2022, July 12). Oakland wants to give voters money to make campaign contributions. Oakland North. https://oaklandnorth.net/2022/07/12/oakland-campaign-vouchers-democracy-dollars/
About the Author
Kaya Foster
Kaya Foster has over a decade of experience designing and implementing engagement programs and campaigns for nonprofits, community groups, and institutions of higher education. She is interested in how behavioral science can empower everyday people to make a difference, and guide organizations shaping public policy. Kaya is a graduate of the Sustainability & Behavior Change program at UCSD, a robust professional certification grounded in "Community Based Social Marketing", an internationally utilized approach to "selling" altruistic behavior adoption & encouraging community engagement. She also holds a B.A. from UCLA.
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