Political Interdependence: Evidence from Emigrant Voter Turnout in 1,267 Elections Worldwide

Abstract We document political interdependence driven by international migration. To examine whether elections in residence countries impact emigrant turnout in homeland elections, we assemble a novel dataset covering 1,267 elections across 43 origin countries and 217 residence countries. Exploiting the quasi-random timing of elections between countries, we find that emigrant turnout increases by 7 percentage points in homeland elections held after residence country elections, compared to those held before. This is consistent with a model of salience where exposure to competitive residence country elections and expanded media coverage increases interest in the political process and drives emigrants to participate in their homeland elections.