The Connection Between Turnout and Policy∗

Turnout is an important determinant of which candidate wins an election. Since candidates know this, it follows that they will consider turnout when choosing their policy platforms. In this paper I formally examine the effect voter turnout has on candidates’ policy positions. In a related paper Ledyard (1984) finds that, with strictly concave citizen utility, both candidates choose the same policy and no citizens vote. I also consider convex and linear utility and find that turnout can cause candidate polarization in these cases. I characterize the equilibria and show that alienation among extreme voters, which does not occur with concave utility, is a necessary condition for polarized, positive-turnout equilibria. My model also suggests that as the importance of an election increases, candidate policy positions will move closer together.