Date of Award

5-2026

Degree Name

Master of Arts

Department

Political Science

First Advisor

Peter Wielhouwer, Ph.D.

Second Advisor

John Clark, Ph.D.

Third Advisor

Mark Hurwitz, Ph.D.

Keywords

Election timing, municipal elections, nonpartisan elections, party labels, voter turnout

Access Setting

Masters Thesis-Open Access

Abstract

This project examines if party labels drive participation in municipal elections. Progressive Era reforms removed partisan labels in attempts to weaken party machines and simplify local governance. Many cities continue to implement these reforms today. However, existing research suggests that party labels provide important informational and mobilizing cues that should increase turnout, especially in low-information elections. Using a comparison of four Michigan municipalities, this paper evaluates how partisan and nonpartisan systems shape local election turnout. The results show that the relationship is more complicated than expected. While party labels will still matter for how voters make decisions, election timing emerges as a more consistent predictor of turnout. Cities with elections held on-cycle alongside midterm and general elections see higher turnout, while off-cycle elections produce much lower participation.

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