#11897. Vote-by-mail Ballot Rejection and Experience with Mail-in Voting

July 2026publication date
Proposal available till 28-05-2025
4 total number of authors per manuscript0 $

The title of the journal is available only for the authors who have already paid for
Journal’s subject area:
Sociology and Political Science;
Places in the authors’ list:
place 1place 2place 3place 4
FreeFreeFreeFree
2350 $1200 $1050 $900 $
Contract №11897.1 Contract №11897.2 Contract №11897.3 Contract №11897.4
1 place - free (for sale)
2 place - free (for sale)
3 place - free (for sale)
4 place - free (for sale)

Abstract:
Although most ballots have historically been cast in-person, are increasingly voting by mail, a trend that accelerated in the 20XX General Election. Mail ballots can be rejected after being cast, and our analysis of the general elections of 20XX, 20XX, and 20XX shows that voters inexperienced with mail voting disproportionately submit ballots that end up rejected due to (1) late arrival at elections offices or (2) signature defects on return envelopes. Inexperienced mail voters are up to three times more likely to have their ballots rejected compared to experienced mail voters, and this inexperience penalty varies by a voter’s party registration, race/ethnicity, and age. Our findings hold when controlling for additional voter characteristics and geographical fixed effects. The effect of inexperience on the likelihood of vote-by-mail ballot rejection risks exacerbating existing inequities in political representation already faced by younger and racial/ethnic minority voters.
Keywords:
Absentee voting; ballot rejection; election administration; voter experience

Contacts :
0