Newspapers and political participation: The relationship between ballot rolloff and local newspaper circulation

Although declining newspaper circulation has important political consequences, less is known about how this decline affects local elections. We address this gap, pairing evidence of legislative ballot rolloff with data on news circulation. Results suggest that newspapers play a role in whether voters leave a portion of their ballot blank. This relationship is particularly acute in noncompetitive races, suggesting that the absence of newspapers is most important when other democratic institutions are less robust.