Voting Competitiveness and Partisanship

The perceived rise in political polarization in the United States, and how it has affected voter participation, was the central focus of this Capstone research project. The team hypothesis was that as districts become less competitive, voter turnout will decrease. Conversely, as districts become more competitive, voter turnout will increase. Using the redistricting cycle that took place after the 2010 census as a quasi-natural experiment, the study focused on district competitiveness and examined whether any resulting changes in district competitiveness impacted voter behavior. The team’s findings, along with a body of research on elections and voter turnout, provide crucial information for parties and political candidates in determining where to allocate resources during elections.