Partisanship and Political Participation Among People with Disabilities

• In Event: Unequal Access? Voting and Participation of Disabled People

Abstract

The disability politics literature has found that having a disability significantly decreases an individual’s voting propensity. Using data from the American National Election Studies of 2012, 2016, 2018, and 2020, the present paper explores several mechanisms that may explain such depressed levels of voter turnout. Considering the central role of partisanship in American political behavior, we investigate whether individuals with disabilities express weak partisan ties, moderate ideological preferences, and inconsistency in vote choice. We observe that those with disabilities are more likely than those without disabilities to report Democratic Party affiliation and liberal ideological orientations. In terms of vote choice, additional models reveal that disability status has a multifaceted and variable relationship with candidate preference. We conclude by providing suggestions for how Americans with disabilities might be better served by political parties and by reflecting on how this growing constituency might be better incorporated into the U.S. electoral system as a whole.

Authors

• April A. Johnson, Kennesaw State University

• Sierra Powell, Mount San Antonio College