Book

Morality at the Ballot: Direct Democracy and Political Engagement in the United States

Available from Cambridge University Press or via Amazon or Barnes & Noble.

Across the United States, there is wide variation in opportunities for citizens to craft legislation through the process of direct democracy. Previous studies suggest that an active role in policy making can spark political interest and engagement, encouraging individuals, who would otherwise abstain from voting, to turn out. Daniel R. Biggers challenges this contention, testing a new theoretical framework that details the exact circumstances under which any proposition might increase participation. Morality at the Ballot reveals that the ability of direct democracy to increase turnout is significantly more limited than currently thought, and that the propositions that do affect participation are restricted to a small subset of ballot issues that include morality policy. Biggers uses these morality propositions to demonstrate the conditions necessary for direct democracy to influence turnout, affect who votes, and shape electoral and policy outcomes. The investigation provides significant insights into the consequences of deciding policy via the ballot and expanding the role for citizens in the political process.

Reviewed in the American Review of Politics and Perspectives on Politics

State Level Moral Issue Ballot Measures in Federal Elections, 1992-2018

Endorsements:

"In Morality at the Ballot, Daniel Biggers brings fresh thinking to the puzzle of when ballot initiatives might and might not impact voter turnout. Using an array of observational and experimental data sets, Biggers makes a strong case for his subtle, yet sophisticated, argument. This book is a must-read for scholars of political participation and citizen initiatives, as well as those focused on how politics and policy become moralized."

-Thomas M. Carsey, Thomas J. Pearsall Distinguished Professor of Political Science, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

"Daniel Biggers provides an insightful and rigorously tested answer to the question of how legislating at the ballot box shapes democratic representation. His analysis of ballot initiatives and their collateral effect on voter turnout and election outcomes offers surprises for scholars and practitioners of American politics."

-Robert M. Stein, Lena Gohlman Fox Professor of Political Science, Rice University

"Daniel Biggers makes a strong case that not all ballot measures are created equal in mobilizing voters. He persuasively shows that most ballot measures produce little to no effect on voter turnout. Instead, what matters most is morality at the ballot. By transforming voting into an expressive act, moral issues increase turnout by enticing peripheral voters. This is a book of great importance that should appeal to readers interested in direct democracy, morality politics and voter mobilization."

-Stephen Nicholson, University of California, Merced