Policing Polling Places in the United States: The Negative Effect of Police Presence on African American Turnout in an Alabama Election

Abstract

ABSTRACT Can the presence of police outside a polling place deter African American voting in the United States? To address this question, this study compares voter turnout at polling places in a 2017 U.S. Senate special election in Alabama based on whether police were present. In short, the presence of police is associated with a 32% reduction in African American participation. That is, if the African American population is 10% of a precinct’s registered voter base, the presence of police is estimated to reduce the African American share of the participating electorate to 7%. The results are the first to quantify the effect of police presence on voting in the United States and indicate that election participation and election outcomes can be affected by the presence of police. These results stand in stark contrast to assertions advanced by both scholars and the courts that the presence of police and other poll watchers in and around polling places has no meaningful consequence for participation.