UC Irvine

This dissertation examines whether, commensurate with the pattern of low voter turnout, people with disabilities also exhibit low levels of engagement across many types of political involvement. Then, given the engagement levels of people with disabilities, the dissertation explores the political implications for party politics in the United States. To do so, I conduct statistical analyses of data from the 2006 General Social Survey and the 2012 American National Election Study. In chapter 2, I show that having a disability is associated with an increased likelihood of being generally interested in politics and that people with disabilities are just as likely as people without a disability to follow the national news. I also show disability to be negatively associated with levels of political knowledge. In chapter 3, I find that, relative to people without disabilities, people with disabilities are similarly likely to feel politically efficacious and to engage in participatory activities aside from voting. In fact, having a disability is positively associated with contacting government officials. In chapter 4, I test hypotheses about people with disabilities identifying with the Democratic Party, having a liberal ideological orientation, and voting as such in recent general elections. I find support for these hypotheses and I also find that within the population of people with disabilities, Democratic Party identification is strongest among people with mobility-related disabilities. I conclude first by offering directions for future research. I also suggest that election administration officials could do more in terms of educational outreach to people with disabilities. Democratic Party officials would also find it in their interest to increase their outreach efforts to this segment of the population.