Does all-mail voting matter for school elections?

During the initial stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, New York State shifted voting rules for school elections from in-person voting to an all-mail regimen with ballots mailed to every voter. We examine the effects of this voting rule shift and find that although the likelihood of budget passage remains largely unchanged, this shift brought about a significant increase in voter participation. Our findings provide empirical evidence for discussions on ways to increase voter turnout for school budget elections, where voter participation is often low.