Theoretical background on why this happens differences in voting costs/benefits. RMF Carey, John, and Yusaku Horiuchi. Compulsory Voting and Income Inequality. Rep. Dartmouth College, 22 Apr. 2013. Webb The first assumption is that when voting is voluntary, wealthier people vote at higher rates than do poorer ones. This pattern has been found to be empirically robust overtime and across most countries (Jackson, Brown, and Wright 1998; Leighley and Nagler 1992; Singh 2011; Tingsten The potential benefits of voting are assumed to be constant across citizens but the costs are higher – and thus, overall utility is lower – for the poor. (5)
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