The ability to vote with a mobile device increased turnout by three to five percentage points in the 2018 federal election in West Virginia, according to new research.
The finding suggests that mobile voting has the potential to significantly boost turnout in future elections.
West Virginia became the first U.S. state to use mobile voting in a federal election, allowing it for overseas voters from 24 of its counties in 2018. Anthony Fowler, associate professor in the Harris School of Public Policy at the University of Chicago, studied this trial to assess the likely effects of mobile voting on the size and composition of the voting population.
More Voters, Lower Cost
“When West Virginia registered voters living abroad had the opportunity to vote online, they were six to nine percentage points more likely to request a ballot, mobile or otherwise, and three to five percentage points more likely to actually cast a ballot,” says Fowler, whose research uses econometric methods to study elections and political representation.
The research underscores that the ability to cast votes on a mobile device could potentially have a powerful effect on voter turnout while drastically lowering the cost of voting. At the same time, current survey data show that many Americans are wary of online voting.
“The effects of voting online could potentially be even greater if it were implemented in a more convenient way or for a population that didn’t have to first submit a Federal Post Card Application in order to receive a ballot.” Fowler says. “Mobile voting could have a profound impact on increasing voter turnout and potentially reduce inequalities in participation.”
Fowler’s study found that:
Among West Virginians living overseas, having mobile voting as an option made them ..
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