Voter Registration after Parkland and Early Voting on College Campuses

• In Event: Impact of (Non-political) Life Events on Voter Registration

Abstract

Why might younger voters become mobilized to vote? Might external shocks or more convenient methods to vote mobilize younger voters to the polls? We examine the mobilization effects of the tragic school shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, in February 2018, as well as the introduction of on-campus early voting locations on a dozen college campuses in the 2018 General Election. Using data from the American Community Survey (ACS) and Florida voter files, we estimate sharp regression discontinuity and difference-in-difference models to assess whether tragic events or convenience mobilize youth to register and vote. We use a discontinuity based on the shooting date February 14, 2018 to estimate the effect of this event on registration and turnout in the 2018 General Election and compare it to 2014 and 2016 General Election turnout for those who registered during the same months. Utilizing the voting age population estimate from the ACS, we find that even though young people registered at a higher rate after the Parkland shooting, many of them did not turn out to vote. On the other hand, on-campus early voting sites had a positive impact on turnout in those counties that adopted the reform, compared to the external shock of the school shooting.

Author

• Enrijeta Shino, University of Florida