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Cited by 209

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 3 of the 3 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.

The Effects of Ballot Initiatives on Voter Turnout in the American States

TOLBERT, CAROLINE J., GRUMMEL, JOHN A., SMITH, DANIEL A.·2001·American Politics Research

Abstract

With few exceptions, voter turnout continues to decline in the United States. Although normative theorists, journalists, and defenders of participatory democracy frequently suggest that citizen-initiated ballot measures can increase voter turnout, previous research has not supported this claim. Yet, in the past 25 years, usage of direct democracy has exploded in the United States. Using pooled time series data for the 50 states over a 26-year period (1970-1996), we find that the presence and usage of the initiative process is associated with higher voter turnout in both presidential and midterm elections. The disparity in turnout rates between initiative and noninitiative states has been increasing over time, estimated at 7% to 9% higher in midterm and 3% to 4.5% higher in presidential elections in the 1990s. Our analysis suggests that the initiative process can and does play a positive role in increasing electoral participation.

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Metadata

Authors
TOLBERT, C. J., GRUMMEL, J. A., & SMITH, D. A.
Venue
American Politics Research
Published
2001-11
Volume
29
Issue
6
Pages
625-648
ISSN
  • 0044-7803 (ISSN-L)
  • 1532-673X
  • 1552-3373
OpenAlex
W2165261603
Cited by
209
References
3
FWCI
53.76
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed

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CoChat. (2026). Citation check: The Effects of Ballot Initiatives on Voter Turnout in the American States. https://app.cochat.ai/papers/10.1177/1532673x01029006005
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TOLBERT, C. J., GRUMMEL, J. A., & SMITH, D. A. (2001). The Effects of Ballot Initiatives on Voter Turnout in the American States. American Politics Research. https://doi.org/10.1177/1532673x01029006005

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