Local News, Partisanship, and Perceptions About Election Administration

Abstract

How does access to local news shape perceptions of election integrity? While existing research emphasizes the influence of partisanship and motivated reasoning, exposure to observable facts about election administration also affects these perceptions. Traditionally, local news was voters’ main source for such information. However, local news has declined significantly—especially in reporting capacity—due to increased competition in the digital media landscape. As a result, the public has less access to objective information about how elections are run, potentially increasing reliance on partisan cues. In this paper, we use individual-level survey data, measures of local news availability, and county-level election results from the 2016 and 2020 cycles to examine whether and how access to local news moderates the effects of partisanship and the winner/loser gap on voter perceptions of election integrity.