Student Western Michigan University Kalamazoo, Michigan, United States
Learning Objectives:
At the end of this session, participants will be able to:
Evaluate the impact of Michigan's voting rights expansion on voter turnout by comparing data from the 2020 and 2024 elections.
Assess the effectiveness of expanded voting rights policies in reducing the voter turnout gap between high-income and low-income citizens.
Discuss the impact of voting rights on health of populations.
Brief Abstract Summary: Discover how voting rights expansion in Michigan impacted voter participation across the state and within low-income counties. In 2023, Michigan enacted legislation to expand voting rights, driven by a citizen-initiated ballot proposal that was overwhelmingly supported by Michiganders. Regression analyses and difference-in-difference analyses were used to assess change in turnout among Michigan's lowest-income counties to examine the impact of Michigan's new voting laws. By examining the relationship between voting access and socioeconomic status, health educators can develop targeted strategies to empower communities, promote civic engagement, and address health disparities through policy advocacy.
Detailed abstract description: Socioeconomic disparities often correlate with lower voter participation, potentially leading to underrepresentation of disadvantaged communities in policy decisions. Lower voter participation has been partly attributed to restrictive voting laws. In 2023, Michigan enacted legislation to expand voting rights, driven by a citizen-initiated ballot proposal that was overwhelmingly supported by Michiganders. The law expanded absentee voting, required statewide early in-person voting, protected voting rights of military members, and expanded options for providing photo ID to vote. To examine whether these voting rights expansions improved voting participation, particularly in low-income counties, this study examined the relationship between county-level poverty and voter turnout and assessed the impact of expanded voting rights on turnout in Michigan's poorest counties. Voter turnout data from the 2020 and 2024 elections was obtained from the Michigan Secretary of State website. Counties’ median household income data was obtained from County Health Rankings for both years. We calculated regression analyses to examine the relationship between income and turnout in both election years and conducted a difference-in-differences analysis to assess changes in turnout among the lowest-income counties following voting rights expansion. Understanding the impact of voting rights expansion on political participation in low-income communities is crucial for health education. By examining the relationship between voting access and socioeconomic status, health educators can develop targeted strategies to empower communities, promote civic engagement, and address health disparities through policy advocacy.
