Jan Leighley
Professor of Government, American University
Chapter Member: Maryland-Washington, D.C. SSN
Areas of Expertise:
Connect with Jan
About Jan
Leighley's research focuses on American political behavior, voter turnout, media and politics, and racial/ethnic political behavior.
Contributions
When Do Members of the U.S. Congress Respond to Less Privileged Constituents?
Key Findings Brief,
Unequal Voter Turnout in U.S. Presidential Elections
Key Findings Brief,
No Jargon Podcast
In the News
Opinion: "Young Voters Are More Likely To Skip Midterm Elections Than Presidential Races," Jan Leighley, Politics + Society, The Conversation, October 25, 2022.
Quoted by Leanna Garfield in "Here's Who Would Win the Election if Every American Voted," Business Insider, November 7, 2016.
Opinion: "Same-Day Registration and Increased Absentee Voting Would Help," Jan Leighley (with ), The Opinion Pages, New York Times, October, 2016.
Quoted by Benjamin Wallace-Wells in "Sanders, Trump, and the Rise of the Non-Voters," The New Yorker, April 1, 2016.
Quoted by Jeff Stein in "Can Bernie Sanders Build a New Coalition of Low-Income Voters? 6 Experts Weigh In.," Vox, February 12, 2016.
Quoted by Sean McElwee in "The Economy is a Democrat: Why Recent History Shows the Value of a Progressive President," Salon, March 28, 2015.
Research discussed by , in "One Big Reason for Voter Turnout Decline and Income Inequality: Smaller Unions," American Prospect, January 30, 2015.
Research discussed by , in "What Voter Turnout Means for Efforts to Remedy Income Inequality," The Washington Post, January 4, 2014.
Publications
"Who Votes Now? Demographics, Issues, Inequality, and Turnout in the United States" (with ) (Princeton University Press, 2013).
Compares the demographic characteristics and political views of voters and nonvoters in American presidential elections since 1972 and examines how electoral reforms and the choices offered by candidates influence voter turnout.
"Participation, Online and Otherwise: What’s the Difference for Policy Preferences?" (with ). Social Science Quarterly 95, no. 5 (2014): 1259-77.
Presents evidence regarding the policy preferences of non-voters and those who participate in
different types of activities, including new forms of online activism. Discusses important differences on key issues during the 2008 presidential election, arguing that the preferences of voters are not necessarily those of other citizens who are engaged in other ways.
"Unions, Voter Turnout and Class Bias in the Electorate, 1964-2004" (with ). Journal of Politics 69, no. 2 (2007): 430-441.
Provides evidence of the importance of unions in mobilizing the turnout of both members and nonmembers in U.S. presidential elections. Also shows that the mobilizing effects of unions are greater for low- and middle-income individuals than for high-income individuals.
"Strength in Numbers? The Political Mobilization of Racial and Ethnic Minorities" (Princeton University Press, 2001).
Examines the demographic and contextual correlates of citizen participation beyond voting,
emphasizing the importance of minority group size, elite mobilization and perceptions of
discrimination and how they differentially influence the behavior of African-Americans and
Latinos.