Get out the early vote: co-ethnic mobilization and convenience voting

Abstract

ABSTRACTMinority voters are more likely to vote in the presence of a co-ethnic candidate. We argue that co-ethnicity should be significantly related to the decision to cast a ballot prior to Election Day. We use national survey data and voter registration files from Florida, Georgia, and North Carolina to test this extension of the co-ethnic mobilization literature. Our findings support the co-ethnic mobilization thesis by demonstrating that black voters were significantly more likely to vote in 2008 and 2012 than in previous elections. This effect, however, is smaller than the significant change toward voting prior to Election Day.