Knowing What You Don't Know: The Role of Information and Sophistication in Ballot Completion

Abstract

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 (

More Choices, More Problems? Ranked Choice Voting Errors in New York City

“…Debate exists regarding the causal mechanisms, but it has long been observed that voters with higher levels of education and income are generally more likely to turn out (Mayer, 2011, Franko et al, 2016), complete ballots (Lamb and Perry, 2020), and be more politically engaged (Sunshine Hillygus, 2005). Differences in education and income also influence familiarity with voting and changing electoral systems (Burden, 2009; Sondheimer et al, 2010; Tenn, 2007), which could contribute to a higher likelihood of ballot voiding errors among voters in lower education and lower income areas.…”