U.S. Voters versus September 11 Terrorists: Testing the Effects of Terrorism on Voter Turnout

What is the effect of terrorism on voter turnout? Some research suggests terrorism increases voter turnout, while other research suggests negative or no effect. This manuscript reports two studies that examine voter turnout before and after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the U.S. The first study evaluates state-level turnout in general elections through interrupted time series regression for all 50 U.S. states followed by a meta-analysis of the results. The second study uses a series of American National Election Studies public opinion surveys to analyze national intent-to-vote responses during the same period. The results suggest the September 11 attacks are associated with increased voter turnout in the U.S. These studies contribute to the ongoing debate about the effects of terrorism on voter turnout and more broadly to the literature on the political consequences of large-scale traumatic events.