Understanding Preferences for Comprehensive Electoral Reform in the United States

Abstract

The aim of this study is to examine whether Americans have a latent attitude toward comprehensive electoral reform the determinants of this attitude. Methods: The article creates and validates an index of election reform attitudes; examines the independent and interactive roles of partisanship, political interest, electoral fortunes, and satisfaction with democracy on these attitudes. Results: While a majority of Americans favor comprehensive election reform, this desire is strongest among Democrats, independents, people who feel they regularly lose in elections, and individuals who are dissatisfied with democracy, with no independent effect of political interest. Multivariate results find the effect of partisanship is conditioned by whether the respondent feels they generally win or lose in elections and satisfaction with democracy. Partisanship also interacts with political interest. More interested Democrats (Republicans) are more (less) supportive of comprehensive reform. Independents who are electoral losers or dissatisfied with government strongly favor election reform and resemble Democrats, while independents who feel they regularly win or are more satisfied are more opposed and resemble Republicans. Conclusion: Two-thirds of Americans favor modernizing and updating U.S. election laws, but these attitudes are colored by partisanship, with evidence suggesting both elite messaging and expected electoral advantage as potential influences. Additionally, asymmetric partisan interactive effects are uncovered.

Public opinion on reforming U.S. primaries

“…These replicated questions were used in previous research as a means of validating the representativeness of the survey sample (Coll et al. 2022). The 2023 survey reported similar levels of support as the earlier 2022 survey, showing that the validation worked.…”

“…Other studies find roughly two‐thirds of Americans desire a wide range of reforms to U.S. elections and that support varies predictably by partisanship, satisfaction with democracy, and feelings of often losing in politics (Coll, Tolbert, and Ritter 2022; see Bowler and Donovan 2018 on convenience voting reform).…”

Citizens’ perceptions of the quality of democracy in the American states

“…Third, it is reasonable to presume that evaluations of democracy mirror the preferences of political "winners" and "losers" such that supporters of the party that controls state government will evaluate state democratic performance more favorably than supporters of the minority party in the state. This "winnerloser gap" has been examined in previous research at the national level where scholars have identified that voters who support the winning side report higher levels of efficacy, are more trusting, and are more satisfied with democracy (Coll et al 2022;Bowler and Donovan 2002;Anderson et al 2005;Craig et al 2006;Norris 2019). Voters are also increasingly willing to look the other way and disregard their stated support for democracy if their own political party is in power (Simonovits, McCoy, and Littvay 2021) and are prone to follow the cues and rhetoric they receive from elites even further undermining democratic norms (Clayton et al 2021).…”

“…This “winner–loser gap” has been examined in previous research at the national level where scholars have identified that voters who support the winning side report higher levels of efficacy, are more trusting, and are more satisfied with democracy (Coll et al. 2022; Bowler and Donovan 2002; Anderson et al. 2005; Craig et al.…”

Access or Experience? Determinants of Distrust in US Elections

“…Public opinion on voter ID laws is more complicated than one might expect. While support for voter ID requirements is highly correlated with belief in widespread fraud (Wilson & Brewer, 2013), public support for these requirements is also very high broadly, with majority support across all parties, races, and other major identity groups (Coll et al, 2022b), although the highest levels of support do come from Republicans/conservatives (Rocha & Matsubayashi, 2014; Wilson & Brewer, 2013). This broad-based support is surprising given research suggesting these laws tend to have a suppressive effect on eligible voters generally and Black voters specifically (Barreto et al, 2019; Hajnal et al, 2018; Hajnal et al, 2017).…”