Votes and Violence: Evidence from a Field Experiment in Nigeria

Elections are now common in low‐income societies. However, they are frequently flawed. We investigate a Nigerian election marred by violence. We designed and conducted a nationwide field experiment based on anti‐violence campaigning. The campaign appealed to collective action through electoral participation, and worked through town meetings, popular theatres and door‐to‐door distribution of materials. We find that the campaign decreased violence perceptions and increased empowerment to counteract violence. We observe a rise in voter turnout and infer that the intimidation was dissociated from incumbents. These effects are accompanied by a reduction in the intensity of actual violence, as measured by journalists.