Voting in a Pandemic: Explaining Variation in Support for Absentee Ballots for All

Melanie Sayuri Dominguez, Edward D. Vargas, Gabriel R. Sanchez

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has fundamentally changed all aspects of American life, including, for many, how we vote. We explore the question of who supports unrestricted absentee ballots during a pandemic. We argue that women are more likely to support absentee ballots because they allow for greater flexibility and minimize the potential for exposure. We test this theory using the National Panel Study of COVID-19 (n = 1,892), which asked respondents about their preferences for absentee ballots, their worry about the coronavirus, and their household composition. Using multinomial logistic regressions, we find that women are more likely to support allowing absentee ballots compared with more restrictive voting options and are more likely to say they support absentee ballots for all if they know someone who has contracted COVID-19. The policy implications for these findings are discussed along with other sociodemographic indicators in our analysis.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)1093-1100
Number of pages8
JournalPolitics and Gender
Volume16
Issue number4
DOIs
StatePublished - Dec 2020

Keywords

  • COVID-19
  • gender
  • voting by mail

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Gender Studies
  • Sociology and Political Science

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