Approximately one in forty adult U.S. citizens has lost their right to vote, either temporarily or permanently, as a result of a felony conviction. Because laws restricting voting by felons and ex-felons disproportionately affect minorities, and minorities tend to vote for Democratic candidates,...

In Citizens United v. FEC (2010), the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that restrictions on independent political expenditures by corporations and labor unions are unconstitutional. We analyze the effects of Citizens United on state election outcomes. We find that Citizens United is associated with an...

This paper examines voting equilibria in a citizen-candidate model of indirect democracy. Voters are partitioned into constituencies and elect representatives into a legislative assembly to bargain over policy. In the bargaining phase, representatives both make policy proposals and vote on each...