Closing the Registration Gap: Estimating the Effect of NVRA Section 7 Registrations on New Minority Voter Registrations in North Carolina
The National Voter Registration Act (NVRA) was passed to increase electoral participation in the United States by requiring states to implement a variety of procedures to lighten the burden of voter registration. Under Section 7 of the NVRA states are required to offer individuals voter registration opportunities at all public assistance agencies.
This paper uses data from the North Carolina State Board of Elections and Department of Human and Health Services to identify the effect of Section 7 registrations on minority registrations by county. It employs an instrumental variable design using a two-stage least squares model with the number of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program applications as an instrument for voters’ interaction with a public assistance agency.
The results of the first stage analysis show that there is a strong effect of policy interventions in increasing voters registered by Section 7 agencies. Additionally, I find that registrations increase for all races but statistically significantly so for black and multiracial people leading to a small but positive increase in the ratio of new black/white voter registrations. I conclude that Section 7 of the NVRA has a positive effect on diversifying voter rolls and interventions designed to boost registrations at public assistance agencies have worked.