Objective. We seek to examine how individual factors such as information and political sophistication can affect the likelihood of a voter completing his or her ballot. Methods. Through the use of an original experiment, we examine the individual-level effects of information and political sophistication on ballot completion. Results. We find that having less information about the candidates on a ballot results in lower levels of ballot completion. On average, voters complete 19 percent less of their ballot when they possess low levels of information about the candidates involved. Moreover, there are significant differences in how political sophisticates and nonsophisticates respond to deficiencies in candidate information. Conclusion. Even though voters are likely to be hesitant to make a decision for a ballot contest when they are lacking in information, political sophisticates are more comfortable making a voting choice than nonsophisticates, even when they are operating under the exact same information constraints.One of the most paradoxical findings in American voter behavior is that citizens will incur all of the necessary costs of making their way to the ballot booth, and then abstain from registering a preference for a number of election contests (
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