What Date Works Best for You? Changes in Electorate Demographics and Policy Priorities in Concurrent Elections

Abstract

Research shows that off-cycle local elections witness much lower turnout than elections held concurrently with state or national elections. However, not all concurrent elections are created equal. Local elections can be held concurrently with presidential general elections, congressional midterms, or state and national primaries. We leverage the passage of a California law that forced cities to change their election calendar to understand the ways in which the electorate differs across different types of concurrent elections. Using election returns from the California Data Archive and data from an original survey of 3,000 residents from Los Angeles County, we find that when cities switch to holding elections concurrently with presidential general elections turnout increases, the share of underrepresented groups increases, and the electorate is more likely to prioritize issues important to marginalized groups, but the same is not true for elections held concurrently with midterm elections or primaries.