Who Leaves the Line, Anyway? A Study of Who Leaves Polling Place Lines, and Why

In this article, I ask two questions: Under what circumstances are voters most likely to leave the polling place line? Who is most likely to leave the polling place line? I present findings from a field observation study in which field researchers observed polling place operations at precincts across the country during the 2016 and 2018 elections. I find that the number of people in line, voter identification laws, and the racial composition of the precinct have an effect on rates of reneging, though the effects are conditional on the type of election. Voters are more likely to leave the check-in line when there are a higher number of people in line. Additionally, voters in majority-Black precincts are most likely to leave the check-in line before voting in presidential and midterm elections. Voter ID laws tend to reduce the incidence of reneging, but the effects are conditional on the type of election and demographic composition of the precinct.