[EL] Research on use of mail ballots by underrepresented groups

Fri Apr 10 13:00:29 PDT 2020

I continue to be confounded by the propensity of academics to rely on
methods to select subjects for studies that have degrees of impression when
there are better tools available. For instance, in these studies it appears
the researchers did not avail themselves of files identify registered
voters, registered permanent absentee voters, voters who requested an
absentee ballot for a specific election, who within each of these groups
actually voted and the demographic identification within each group and
subgroup. Is not such a data file preferable to screening questions that
rely on a voters recollection of how and if he or she voted and voted by a
certain method. 

If I have misunderstood the methodology used in any of these studies, I
apologize. But my basic question as it applies in general still holds.

Larry

From: Law-election <law-election-bounces at department-lists.uci.edu> On Behalf
Of Kousser, Thad
Sent: Friday, 10 April 2020 11:27 AM
To: Election Law Listserv <law-election at uci.edu>
Subject: [EL] Research on use of mail ballots by underrepresented groups

Hi All,

      I wanted to provide a citation for the study that I referred to in
today's NYT article regarding how preferences for casting mail ballots vary
across racial and ethnic groups in California, and to point to additional
important research on this topic from USC's Mindy Romero:

This study from the University of California's New Electorate Project
(newelectorateproject.org), authored by Mindy Romero, Eric McGhee, and
myself, relies on a statewide poll of eligible voters in California after
the 2018 primary to show that Latino and African-American voters were less
likely to prefer casting a mail ballot, and Asian voters were more likely to
prefer casting a mail ballot, than total voters in counties that adopted the
Voters Choice Act.  

 <https://drive.google.com/file/d/105NpmORxoRZ2VVJxcDhGey7JQuccm5Sb/view>
https://drive.google.com/file/d/105NpmORxoRZ2VVJxcDhGey7JQuccm5Sb/view

This study from USC's California Civic Engagement Project, authored by Mindy
Romero, finds that Latino voters are less likely to cast a mail ballot, and
Asian voters are more likely to cast a mail ballot, than total voters in
California in each general election from 2002-2012.  (Note that many of
those who cast a mail ballot that was sent to them by a registrar do so by
dropping it off at a polling place or another location).   

<https://static1.squarespace.com/static/57b8c7ce15d5dbf599fb46ab/t/58e58499e
4fcb5fc935614c6/1491436758841/VBM+Issue+Brief+Revised.pdf>
https://static1.squarespace.com/static/57b8c7ce15d5dbf599fb46ab/t/58e58499e4
fcb5fc935614c6/1491436758841/VBM+Issue+Brief+Revised.pdf

This study from USC's California Civic Engagement Project, authored by Mindy
Romero, relies on a 2016 statewide survey to find that Latino voters were
less likely to vote by mail, and Asian voters were more likely to vote by
mail than total voters in California in that year.  It also finds that,
among voters who chose not to mail in their mail ballots, Latino, African
American, and Asian voters were less likely than white voters to trust that
the US Postal Service would deliver their ballot safely and on time.   

<https://static1.squarespace.com/static/57b8c7ce15d5dbf599fb46ab/t/59b1bacc4
c0dbf34e91dac0d/1504819977791/UCDavisCCEPIssueBrief3VoteCenterStatewideSurve
yBrief.pdf>
https://static1.squarespace.com/static/57b8c7ce15d5dbf599fb46ab/t/59b1bacc4c
0dbf34e91dac0d/1504819977791/UCDavisCCEPIssueBrief3VoteCenterStatewideSurvey
Brief.pdf

       Best, Thad 

Thad Kousser, Professor and Department Chair

Department of Political Science, UC San Diego

9500 Gilman Drive
La Jolla, CA 92093-0521

858-534-3239

 <http://polisci.ucsd.edu/> http://polisci.ucsd.edu

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