The Mobilization of U.S. State Electorates in the 1988 and 1990 Elections

Abstract

Considering a range of political mobilization questions, this study examines the turnout of U S state electorates in the 1988 and 1990 elections High stimulus presidential, gubernatorial, and senatorial campaigns encourage participation, controlling for the structuring influence of state sociodemographic characteristics (e.g., levels of education, age, and urbanization). Relying on an analytic framework that conceptualizes state electorates within a stream of differentiated electoral information, the analyses also reveal the importance of distinguishing among campaigns and across electoral settings In an on-year, an overriding stimulus from the presidential contest markedly attenuates the role of lower-level contests in mobilizing a state's citizenry. In an off-year, similar to their relative influence on electoral outcomes, high-profile campaigns on the part of gubernatorial and senatorial challengers appear to be more important than the campaigns of incumbents in getting voters to the polls.