The Politics of Private School Vouchers: Evidence from Three Statewide

• In Event: State-Level Politics and Policy Change

Abstract

We collect detailed precinct-level data to analyze school choice ballot measures that appeared on the November 2024 ballot in three states (Colorado, Kentucky, and Nebraska). Although we show that these measures performed better in more Republican areas, partisanship was only one factor that influenced voting behavior. We also see greater support for school choice among minority voters and --- for measures focusing specifically on private school vouchers --- among families already sending their children to private schools and those most likely to be dissatisfied with their public school district. Similarly, we find increased opposition to vouchers (but not school choice generically) among voters located in "private school deserts" (precincts without any private schools located within 5 miles). Together, our results emphasize the importance of rational and self-interested considerations in shaping mass preferences and voting behavior on education policy issues and have implications for the ongoing political and policy debates.

Author

• Vladimir Kogan, The Ohio State University
  Presenting Author