Differential influences on participation in midterm versus presidential elections

This study addressed the implications for electoral participation of the contextual shift from a presidential to a midterm election. Both descriptive and multivariate analyses indicated that the greater stimulus of presidential years is especially important for facilitating the participation of young adults and recent movers. The complementary conclusion is that the lower level of stimuli in midterms is especially detrimental to the participation of these same two categories of citizens. In large measure, the presidential stimulus elevates the turnout of young adults and recent movers by encouraging these citizens to overcome the registration hurdle.