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Local Sources of Information and Voter Choice in State Elections

Microlevel Foundations of the "Friends and Neighbors" Effect

University of California, Riverside

Todd Donovan

Western Washington University

Joseph Snipp

Creighton University

Previous studies of aggregated election returns have identified a local component to the vote in state election contests. The authors suggest that a geographical distribution of information about candidates produces these aggregate patterns and demonstrate that the farther a voter resides from a candidate's home media market, the less likely it is that the voter knows about the candidate. Furthermore, uncertainty associated with distance reduces the likelihood that a voter will select a candidate. This effect holds in partisan and nonpartisan (primary) contests. The findings call attention to the need for additional study of vehicles that transmit information at the local level.

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