We report the first study of the effect of the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) on polling place consolidation and voting behavior. We draw upon individual-level observations from Milwaukee matched to similar observations in the surrounding municipalities to assess whether fewer polling places in the April 2020 presidential primary election decreased turnout in the city. We find polling place consolidation reduced overall turnout by about 8.7 points and reduced turnout among the Black population in the city by about 10 points. We conclude, based on these data, that polling place consolidation even accompanied by widespread absentee voting in the face of an emergency may result in disenfranchisement, particularly among Black voters.

我们报告了对新型冠状病毒SARS-CoV-2（COVID-19）对投票站合并和投票行为的影响的首次研究。我们根据密尔沃基州的个人观察结果与周围城市的类似观察结果进行比较，以评估2020年4月总统初选的投票地点是否减少，从而减少了城市的投票率。我们发现，投票站合并使整体投票率降低了大约8.7点，而该市黑人人口的投票率降低了大约10点。根据这些数据，我们得出结论，投票站合并甚至在紧急情况下出现广泛的缺席投票也可能导致剥夺选举权，尤其是在黑人选民中。