Social Science Job Candidate

Despite extensive research on voting behavior, there is litde evidence connecting turnout to tangible outcomes. Would election results and public policy be different if everyone voted? The adoption of compulsory voting in Australia provides a rare opportunity to address this question, because Australian states implemented compulsory voting policies at different times between 1914 and 1941. To begin my analysis, I collect two novel data sources to assess the extent of turnout inequality in Australia before compulsory voting. Overwhelmingly, wealthy citizens voted more than their working class counterparts. Then, exploiting the adoption of compulsory voting as a natural experiment, I estimate that the policy increased voter turnout by 24 percent which in turn increased the vote shares and seat shares of the Labor Party by 7 to 9 percent. Results suggest that democracies with voluntary voting do not accurately represent their citizens. Increased voter turnout can dramatically alter election outcomes and the resulting public policies.