Vote Mobilization at Work: How Employers Subvert Elections

Abstract: Scholars have long documented how party activists mobilize voters during elections, but politicians use a range of other actors to help get out the vote as well. Despite increasing interest among scholars in non-party based vote mobilization, there is much that we do not know. We explore how politicians use employers and party activists to get voters to the polls and present three findings. First, looking at a range of middle-income countries, we show that workplace mobilization of voters by employers is common, even in countries where parties are relatively strong. Second, using data from Russia, we show that workplace mobilization presents a trade-off. It helps to mobilize workers to vote, but also reduces support among the general public who generally disapproves of this tactic. Third, we demonstrate that media freedom can help reduce the incidence of workplace mobilization by increasing the likelihood of detection by the general public. These results suggest the need for greater attention to employers as political agents during elections and to the normative implications of different voter mobilization strategies.