Surfacing Electoral Processes: Operational Transparency Increases Trust in Elections and Voter Turnout

Trust in elections is a critical factor in the stability of democratic institutions, and recent declines in election confidence highlight a need for effective interventions. One mechanism causing distrust in elections is a lack of understanding and awareness of how elections operate and the existing security protocols in place. We hypothesize that by increasing operational transparency around election processes and security, governments can mitigate distrust and encourage greater electoral participation. This study takes a mixed-methods approach, starting with two pilot studies – one lab and one field experiment – and culminating in robust field research. Results from 3 field experiments with election offices in California suggest that print and email-based interventions designed to increase operational transparency consistently increase trust, and that this link is mediated by perceived transparency and the perception that one’s vote has been counted. Further and extra to the pre-registration, results show that the interventions that increase trust also increase voter turnout with some consistency. The effects are often strongest amongst voters with no party preference, a group that may engage rarely with politics, and therefore may have a large knowledge gap. These experiments present a positive picture for operational transparency as a means to improve trust and voting turnout. This paper concludes with ideas for practical applications of findings such as voting machines receipts, counting live stream platforms, and in-person tours of election offices.