Voting Restrictions and Public Health: An Analysis of State Variation 1996–2020

Abstract

The study examines the relationship between voting restrictions and public health in the 50 American states. Using a recently developed Cost of Voting Index (COVI) as a surrogate for variance in state electoral climate the research tests for a statistical relationship while controlling for other considerations that notably influence community health outcomes. The research uses the America’s Health Rankings composite indicator of state health as the dependent variable and examines the relationship at seven points of time over a 25-year period (1996–2020). In both bivariate and multivariate tests, a robust relationship is uncovered between the COVI and overall state health. In the bivariate tests, it is possible to see changes in state COVI values, overtime, corresponding with movement in the state public health scores.