IRCPPS in the Links: The Unintended Consequences of Campaign Promises

Chris Blattman's blog offers an analysis of the Liberian elections, and an interesting vignette from Rob Blair about the unintended consequences of unfulfilled campaign promises:

In one community I visited, I asked the town chief how he adjudicated among the dozens of candidates on the ballot. He pointed to the village’s dilapidated school. During the previous congressional campaign, the district’s current representative had promised that he would repair the building, but never did. Now an opposition candidate has promised that he’ll do the job instead. That was enough to convince the town chief, who rallied the village in the opposition’s favor.

IRCPPS in the Links: Income and Voting, US 2010 Midterm Elections

voteview blog has two pieces analyzing some of the determinants of voting in the 2010 US mid-term elections:

Below we show the relationship between income and voting in the 2010 Midterm Elections using the Current Population Survey (CPS, November 2010: Voting and Registration Supplement). In the graph below we plot participation by family income level (1 to 16, beginning at $5000 with the top 5 categories being $60,000, $75,000, $100,000, $150,000, and $250,000 or more). The relationship between voting and income is quite clear. Around $30,000 family income about 50% in the category vote with the participation rising to 70% at higher income levels.

IRCPPS in the Links: ID Requirements and Vote Suppression

In the Monkey Cage, John Sides discusses the impact of identification laws on voter turnout:

A new Brennan Center study—which is getting front-page news coverage—attempts to count the number of citizens that could be adversely elected by new laws requiring voters to have photo identification.  But do these laws actually reduce voter turnout?