Participation in Direct Legislation: Evidence from the Voting Booth

Abstract

This study considers individual voting behavior on propositions. After controlling for voter and election specific attributes, we determine the effects of proposition attributes, such as proposition position and readability on roll-off and voter fatigue. If proposition attributes affect voting behavior and if their attributes can be influenced by supporters, including interest groups, then any such potential advantages should be ameliorated in the interest of "equal" political representation. As an example, advantages of ballot position can be minimized by modifying the linkage between the qualification sequence and the ballot sequence. Using individual level ballot data taken from Los Angeles county, we find that the proposition position is negatively related to the probability of voting on a proposition and the probability of voting "Yes" on bonds and initiatives. We also find that reading ease is positively related to the probability of voting on a proposition and the probability of voting "Yes" on bonds and initiatives.