The impact of ballot access restrictions on electoral competition: Evidence from a natural experiment

Drometer, Marcus and Rincke, Johannes (April 2008): The impact of ballot access restrictions on electoral competition: Evidence from a natural experiment. Discussion Papers in Economics 2008-7

Abstract

Measuring the effect of ballot access restrictions on electoral competition is complicated because the stringency of ballot access regulations cannot be treated as being exogenous to candidates' entry decisions. This paper exploits the 1968 U.S. Supreme Court decision to strike down Ohio's ballot access laws as a natural experiment to overcome the endogeneity problem. The evidence from difference-in-difference estimations suggests that the court decision and the accompanying sharp decrease in Ohio's petition requirements resulted in major parties facing a signifcant increase in competition from third party and independent candidates.

• Item Type: Paper (Discussion Paper)
• Keywords: Ballot access, Petition requirements, Electoral competition, Natural experiment
• Subjects: Economics; Economics > Discussion Papers in Economics; Economics > Discussion Papers in Economics > Public Choice
• Dewey Classification: 300 Social sciences; 300 Social sciences > 330 Economics
• Journal of Economic Literature classification: D72, D78
• Language: English