Why Do We Vote?: An Analytical and Data-Centered Approach to the Impact of Infrastructure Quality on Voter Turnout in Virginia Counties

Everyday political discourse centers around the direction of voting far more than the choice to vote itself, despite low turnout rates in the United States overall, and especially in local and non-presidential elections. No existing model provides a complete explanation of the reasons and influences that cause individuals to participate in politics by casting a ballot, and the literature is especially fractured with regards to issue-specific activation of voters. This work expands on previous issue-focused studies by performing turnout analyses for Virginia counties alongside geographic analysis of infrastructure quality and access. The findings suggest that the quality of infrastructure has no influence on voter turnout, indicating a greater complexity in voter activation mechanisms than initially hypothesized. Interpretations of the findings suggest that individuals may not see infrastructure quality as explicitly political, or only weakly view voting as a remedy for day-to-day concerns.