In 2008, a group of uninsured low-income adults in Oregon was selected by lottery for the chance to apply for Medicaid. Using this randomized design and state administrative data on voter behavior, we analyze how a Medicaid expansion affected voter turnout and registration. We find that Medicaid increased voter turnout in the November 2008 Presidential election by about 7% overall, with the effects concentrated in men (18% increase) and in residents of Democratic counties (10% increase); there is suggestive evidence that the increase in voting reflected new voter registrations, rather than increased turnout among pre-existing registrants. There is no evidence of an increase in voter turnout in subsequent elections, up to and including the November 2010 midterm election.
CITATION STYLE
Baicker, K., & Finkelstein, A. (2019). The impact of Medicaid expansion on voter participation: Evidence from the Oregon health insurance experiment. Quarterly Journal of Political Science, 14(4), 383–400. https://doi.org/10.1561/100.00019026
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