Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/123257 
Year of Publication: 
2015
Series/Report no.: 
CESifo Working Paper No. 5617
Publisher: 
Center for Economic Studies and ifo Institute (CESifo), Munich
Abstract: 
We aim to estimate the elasticity of voter turnout. We analyze how voters react to a change in voting costs. Some municipalities in the canton of Berne reduced voting costs by paying the postage of the return envelope when voters opt for postal voting. We find that paying the postage is associated with a statistically significant 1.8 percentage point increase in voter turnout. This increase in turnout negatively affects the alignment of voters with leftist party positions.
Subjects: 
voting cost
postal voting
voter turnout
JEL: 
D72
Document Type: 
Working Paper
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