E-voting as a tool to reduce unequal voter turnout in the Czech Republic

Abstract

Electronic voting is one of several tools that have the potential to reduce the cost of voting for citizens and thus motivate them to vote. However, the results of previous research have shown that this effect is not achieved in every case. Our research examines the potential consequences of the introduction of e-voting in the Czech Republic, where the introduction of this tool is the topic of public discussion. More specifically, we examine whether the introduction of this tool has the potential to increase voter turnout and for which groups of citizens the potential is highest. For this purpose, we use data from a survey conducted on a representative sample of respondents. To test the hypotheses, we employ binary and multinomial logistic regression models. The results of the analysis show that the introduction of electronic voting, compared to other tools facilitating voting, has the highest potential to increase voter turnout in the Czech Republic. The increase in voter turnout is particularly noticeable among groups of citizens that usually do not participate in voting.