Individual Campaign Contributions and Voter Turnout: The Role of Broadband Network Availability

Abstract

I identify the effect of broadband network availability on individual campaign donations and electoral participation. Using broadband availability as an instrumental variable, I then look for the effect of individual campaign contributions on electoral participation. I find that broadband explains a 40 percent increase in contributions since the mid-1990s. Focusing on electoral outcomes in presidential election years, I then find that broadband diffusion has led to a 3 percentage points increase in voter turnout, a 3 percentage points increase in democratic vote share, and a 2 percentage points increase in winning margins. I finally show that another half percentage point increase increase in voter turnout can be attributed to individual campaign contributions, an effect four times larger than the least squares estimate. Overall, my findings are consistent with a broadband effect channeling through information provision. They also help rehabilitate the popular view that campaign contributions play an instrumental role in elections.