Inside the Black Box of Election Day Polling Locations.

In this paper we use data gathered from structured observations at five polling locations within the City of Boston to examine of Election Day experiences on voters. Specifically, we examine the voter-election official interaction and the polling location environment. Boston and other locations in Massachusetts are unique in the United States in that a police officer is required to be present at every polling location in the state. We use legitimacy and collective efficacy concepts to explore the voter-election official interactions in order better contextualize what happens inside the black box of polling locations on Election Day. We discuss the implications of those findings on people's willingness to vote. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]