The Electoral Effect of Stop-and-Frisk

Scholars have recently demonstrated that negative experiences with law enforcement can have a depressing effect on political participation. Here, we explore the impact of living in a neighborhood targeted by police for stop-and-frisk. To do so, we combine individual electoral participation in the 2010 and 2014 midterm elections with records of stop-and-frisk activity in New York City. The results show that overall, stop-and-frisk reduced turnout among registered voters. However, the effect of stop-and-frisk depends on individual-level characteristics of citizens living in areas of elevated stop-and-frisk activity. Black, male, and older citizens were the most strongly demobilized by stop-and-frisk. Our results suggest that crime prevention strategies may have negative consequences for civic engagement and may exacerbate inequality in representation.