Perceived electoral malfeasance and resentment over the election of Barack Obama

Wilson, David C.; King-Meadows, Tyson

doi:10.1016/j.electstud.2016.07.003

Cited by 13 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 17 publications

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“…Second, research suggests that concerns about electoral unfairness are stronger among Republicans and conservatives (Ansolabehere & Persily, 2008), and that discussion of it in right-leaning media outlets tends to be more racialized (e.g., Dreier & Martin, 2010). Consistent with this, recent data suggest that concern about some forms of electoral fraud is both linked to racial resentment and stronger among those who receive their news from conservative outlets (Wilson & Brewer, 2013;Wilson & King-Meadows, 2016). Consequently, anti-Black attitudes and beliefs may be more chronically salient among White Republicans and conservatives in the context of judgments about the fairness of the 2008 and 2012 elections.…”

Section: For Whom Will Electoral Fairness Be Racialized? the Roles Ofmentioning

confidence: 90%

The racialization of electoral fairness in the 2008 and 2012 United States presidential elections

Appleby

Federico

2017

Group Processes & Intergroup Relations

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President Obama's historic status as the nation's first African American president has led to a "spillover" of racialization in the form of a strengthened relationship between racial attitudes and beliefs and judgments about policies he is associated with. We argue that even basic perceptions of the fairness of the presidential election became racialized in 2008 and 2012. Consistent with this, data from two national surveys revealed that Whites high in racial resentment and racial-stereotype endorsement were less likely to believe the 2008 and 2012 elections were conducted fairly, especially among those for whom the election result was unwelcome, that is, Republicans and conservatives. We find that this result is specific to years that Obama was on the ballot, suggesting a unique role for Obama's candidacy in boosting the impact of racial attitudes and beliefs.

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Section: For Whom Will Electoral Fairness Be Racialized? the Roles Ofmentioning

confidence: 90%

The racialization of electoral fairness in the 2008 and 2012 United States presidential elections

Appleby

Federico

2017

Group Processes & Intergroup Relations

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“…Moreover, a level playing field for all contestants increases citizens' confidence and supports the idea that institutions follow the rules (Birch 2008). A second body of work considers perceptions of electoral fraud as a product of individual-level variables such as race (Wilson and King-Meadows 2016), sociodemographic characteristics (Norris 1999), political sophistication (Karp, Nai, and Norris 2018), citizens' direct experience with elections (Atkeson and Saunders 2007), their interaction with poll workers (Cantú and García Ponce 2015), and underlying political predispositions Edelson et al 2017) such as partisanship (Kernell and Mullinix 2019)-which plays a prominent role in the literature. For instance, depending on the elections' results, partisanship adjusts voters' confidence in the electoral procedures.…”

Section: Perceptions Of Electoral Fraud In the 2006 Presidential Elec...mentioning

confidence: 88%

Who Believes in Fraud in the 2006 Mexican Presidential Election? Election Denialism, Partisan Motivated Reasoning, and Affective Polarization

Castro Cornejo

2024

Lat. Am. res. rev.

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Why do some voters believe that there is electoral fraud when this belief contradicts the best available evidence? While the literature on public opinion has explored misperceptions’ pervasiveness and the factors that contribute to them in advanced industrial democracies, the present study analyzes motivated reasoning among voters in a young democracy, Mexico. This study highlights the important role that partisanship plays in voters’ likelihood to believe the allegations of electoral fraud in the 2006 presidential election in Mexico, which continues polarizing both political elites and the electorate even today. To understand the mechanisms at work, this research finds that it is not voters lacking information but rather voters with high levels of affective polarization and conspiratorial thinking who are more likely to believe that there was electoral fraud. The study also includes a survey experiment that fact-checked the belief in the alleged electoral fraud. Consistent with motivated reasoning theory, MORENA partisans resisted efforts to reduce their misperception. The findings of this study contribute to our understanding of the conditions that make some voters hold misperceptions in young democracies.

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“…Existing scholarship indicates that political predispositions, general orientations toward the political system, and racial attitudes are the most reliable predictors of public beliefs about voter fraud. Reflecting the nature of political debate about proposed voting restrictions, Republicans and conservatives tend to believe that voter fraud occurs more frequently than Democrats and liberals (Bowler, Brunell, Donovan, & Gronke, 2015; D. C. Wilson & Brewer, 2013; D. C. Wilson & King-Meadows, 2016). Furthermore, there is clear evidence of a sore loser effect in voter fraud beliefs, as supporters of winning candidates hold more positive assessments of election integrity than supporters of losing candidates (Beaulieu, 2014;Sances & Stewart, 2015;Wolak, 2014).…”

Section: Anti-immigrant Attitudes and Voter Fraud Perceptionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This rhetoric encourages the public to bring to mind racial attitudes when considering the issue of voter fraud. As a result, some have found a positive relationship between racial resentment and public beliefs about voter fraud (Appleby & Federico, 2017; D. C. Wilson & Brewer, 2013; D. C. Wilson & King-Meadows, 2016). Racial resentment seems to be a strong predictor of public support for voting restrictions as well (D. C. Wilson & Brewer, 2013).…”

Section: Study 1: Using Racial and Ethnic Attitudes In The 2014 Ccesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Immigrant Resentment and Voter Fraud Beliefs in the U.S. Electorate

Udani

Kimball

2017

American Politics Research

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Public beliefs about the frequency of voter fraud are frequently cited to support restrictive voting laws in the United States. However, some sources of public beliefs about voter fraud have received little attention. We identify two conditions that combine to make anti-immigrant attitudes a strong predictor of voter fraud beliefs. First, the recent growth and dispersion of the immigrant population makes immigration a salient consideration for many Americans. Second, an immigrant threat narrative in political discourse linking immigration to crime and political dysfunction has been extended to the voting domain. Using new data from a survey module in the 2014 Cooperative Congressional Election Study and the 2012 American National Election Study, we show that immigrant resentment is strongly associated with voter fraud beliefs. Widespread hostility toward immigrants helps nourish public beliefs about voter fraud and support for voting restrictions in the United States. The conditions generating this relationship in public opinion likely exist in other nations roiled by immigration politics. The topic of fraudulent electoral practices will likely continue to provoke voters to call to mind groups that are politically constructed as “un-American.”

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Perceived electoral malfeasance and resentment over the election of Barack Obama

Cited by 13 publications

References 17 publications

The racialization of electoral fairness in the 2008 and 2012 United States presidential elections

The racialization of electoral fairness in the 2008 and 2012 United States presidential elections

Who Believes in Fraud in the 2006 Mexican Presidential Election? Election Denialism, Partisan Motivated Reasoning, and Affective Polarization

Immigrant Resentment and Voter Fraud Beliefs in the U.S. Electorate

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