Do Unfounded Allegations of Election Fraud Influence the Likelihood of Voting?
Jean‐Nicolas Bordeleau · 2022
The legitimacy of the electoral process is often put into question by political candidates and elites who seek to account for their loss. As a result, a significant portion of voters are presented with unfounded allegations of widespread election fraud even though such fraud seldom occurs in consolidated democracies. Previous research has determined that misleading claims regarding the integrity of elections carry important implications for citizens’ perceptions of electoral fairness. However, the literature has yet to systematically explore the impact of electoral fraud allegations on voter participation. Using original survey data from the United Kingdom, this research measures the impact of unfounded allegations of election fraud on the decision to vote or not. The results of the survey experiment do not support the hypotheses according to which exposure to unfounded allegations of fraud influences confidence in elections and voter participation. However, results from supplementary analyses highlight a significant relationship between perceptions of fraud and subsequent desire to cast a ballot. Explanations for these findings are discussed.