Expanding and restricting : partisan control and the cost of voting in the American states, 1996-2024

Abstract

What accounts for the variation in the cost of voting in the American states between the 1996 and 2024 presidential elections? Parties act rationally to manipulate voting costs, expanding access when it mobilizes supporters and restricting access when it risks benefiting opponents. This study tests these expectations using a state-year panel dataset covering all 50 states across eight presidential election cycles. The dependent variable is the Cost of Voting Index (COVI) (Li, Pomante, and Schraufnagel 2018). The key explanatory variable is the Ranney index of partisan control (Ranney 1976). Pooled OLS models reveal a robust negative relationship between Democratic control and COVI, with effects intensifying after 2012. The results also indicate a positive relationship between more restrictive voting laws and the Black population, even after controlling for other factors. These findings extend Pomante (2025) by using a more precise, continuous measure of partisan control.