Authors
Jack Edelson, Alexander Alduncin, Christopher Krewson, James A Sieja, Joseph E Uscinski
Publication date
2017/12
Journal
Political Research Quarterly
Volume
70
Issue
4
Pages
933-946
Publisher
SAGE Publications
Description
Belief in electoral fraud has received heightened attention due to elite rhetoric and controversial voter identification (ID) laws. Using a two-wave national survey administered before and after the 2012 election, we examine the individual-level correlates of belief in a range of election-related conspiracy theories. Our data show that partisanship affects the timing and content of belief in election-related conspiracy theories, but a general disposition toward conspiratorial thinking strongly influences those beliefs. Support for voter ID laws, in contrast, appears to be driven largely by party identification through elite-mass linkages. Our analysis suggests that belief in election fraud is a common and predictable consequence of both underlying conspiratorial thinking and motivated partisan reasoning.
Total citations
20182019202020212022202320247154221394029
Scholar articles