Deadline for submissions: February 1, 2025
As the pace of global migration accelerates, immigration has become a significant issue in electoral politics in almost every corner of the world. Debates on immigration have taken center stage in campaigns and elections, and the pace of xenophobic attacks on immigrant communities has accelerated, with politicians wielding (often false) claims about immigrants to wage and win electoral campaigns.
The acceleration of immigration has also contributed to debates regarding the participation of immigrants in elections. Over the last few decades, the rights of non-citizens to legally vote in their countries of residence has fluctuated. The global trend has leaned towards increasing voting rights of immigrants with variations depending on legal status. The United States bars non-citizens from voting in federal elections and there is no state in the country that permits them to do so. However, a handful of local jurisdictions allow non-citizens to vote in localelections and on referendums. Cross-nationally there is considerably more variation between citizenship status and the right to vote.
In the 2024 US elections, immigrant electoral participation was a central issue as were debates and disinformation regarding whether non-citizens were allowed to vote and whether they voted. Similarly, debates have arisen in Europe and Latin America regarding the influence of immigrant groups in tilting the outcome of elections.
In this special issue, we invite paper submissions that make critical theoretical or empirical contributions to the connection between immigration and elections across many different dimensions and regions of the world. The objectives of the special issue are to analyze:
- The connections between immigration legislation and voting rights cross-nationally as well as variations among national, regional and local governments.
- The use of intimidation, threat and the racialization of participation to suppress political participation and voter turnout.
- The politicization and racialization of immigration to win votes.
- The importance of networks to develop solidarity, overcome intimidation, and counteract false dialogues about immigrants and immigrant voting.
- The relationship between racial threat and restrictive immigration attitudes as well as the convergence of economic anxiety with anti-immigration support.
- Immigrant citizens’ political attitudes and voting behavior.
We welcome article-length submissions for this special issue that address these objectives or explore the nexus of immigration, political campaigns, and participation through originalempirical or theoretical research.
Contributions must be submitted to PS: Political Science & Politics via Editorial Manager on or before February 1, 2025.
Accepted manuscripts will be published on FirstView as they are completed, but will be published together in a special issue.
To Submit: Submit manuscripts through the online system at: www.editorialmanager.com/ps.
Length: Manuscripts must be fewer than 4,800 words, including notes and references.
Style, Format, References: Manuscripts must be submitted in Word, should include in-text citations that correspond with endnotes and references conforming to the Style Manual (Chicago Manual of Style, 17th edition). An online appendix can be uploaded for supplementary and supporting material.