Lifecycle changes and the activation of habitual voting: The case of Costa Rica

• I examine the effects of prior turnout on future electoral behavior.
• Age and turnoutt−1 reinforce each other and boost turnout to higher rates.
• Mobility still can disrupt individuals' voting behavior under favorable conditions.
• Individuals will develop habituation if they have voted previously and the earlier they cast their first vote.

Under circumstances of substantial turnout reductions, the development of electoral habits may constitute a key factor to attenuate or even revert such tendency in the long term. Using a unique dataset I examine the extent to which age and lifecycle changes mediate the effects of prior turnout (habituation) on future electoral behavior. Three findings are highlighted. First, age and turnoutt-1 reinforce each other and boost turnout to higher rates. Second, even under favorable circumstances, residential mobility still can disrupt individuals' voting patterns, regardless of whether their behavior was already habituated. Finally, habitual voting is activated by the time individuals participate in their fourth election, and the sooner they cast their first vote.