Submission Date
1-1-2025
Document Type
Paper
Department
Politics
Adviser
Johannes Karreth
Committee Member
Joel Bish
Committee Member
Jonathan Marks
Department Chair
Ann Karreth
Project Description
Voter wait times have been an enduring issue in American Elections, with significant variation across individuals, voting precincts, and states. Past research has found that waiting in lines at the polls negatively impacts future voter turnout and public confidence in voting institutions. Additionally, a racial gap in voter wait times and resource allocation has been found in numerous studies that implies serious issues with the equality of our elections. The exact causes of the racial gap and voter wait times in general are still somewhat unclear, but prior work has considered as causes the allocation of voting resources, the procedural aspects of voting, as well as other non-structural issues. This study investigates the causes of voter wait times, with a specific focus on the role of wealth versus racial make-up of districts. Using several regression analyses on a combined dataset from the CCES, SPAE, and the U.S. Census, I examine the role of different causes of voter wait times in the 2022 midterm elections. To better understand how resource allocation is determined, I conducted a qualitative interview with a Philadelphia election official to identify how unequal allocation could occur. My findings suggest that community wealth is not a significant driver of voter wait times, but that racial gaps in wait times persist at the individual and local level. My findings also show that a racial voter wait gap exists in a number of states, and that differing laws or other factors at the state level either cause or contribute to the gap. Ultimately, this means that other factors must cause the racial voter wait time gap, including institutions and how resource allocation is determined.
Recommended Citation
Kiss, Christopher, "Causes of Voter Wait Times During the 2022 U.S. Midterm Elections" (2025). Politics Honors Papers. 18.
https://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/pol_hon/18
