Racial disparities in problems with voting

Abstract

Electoral laws in the United States are causing hurdles for participation which affect the racial minority population in greater degree than for the white population. This thesis looks at racial disparities in problems with voting with data from the 2020 Cooperative Election Study. A logistic fixed effect regression model shows the results of racial minorities who are Black, Hispanic, and Two or more races have statistically significant increased odds in having problems with voting, compared to White. When adding the structural variables, some of this is explained by low education, living in urban areas and being younger, controlled for the state the respondent lives in. There are still significant results that Hispanics and Two or more races have increased odds in having problems with voting, compared to White, controlled for education, rurality, age, and state. These laws excludes eligible voters from the American democracy. Voting is a cornerstone in a democracy and should represent the will of all the people. Exclusion of racial minorities violates with the definition of Robert Dahl, that a democracy “is the continuing responsiveness of the government to the preferences of its citizens, considered as political equals” (Dahl 1971, 1). When excluded, racial minorities are not political equals, the government is not being responsive to their preferences, and they don’t possess the opportunity to vote them out. Inclusion should always be desirable as a democratic ideal.