Reply to Healy et al.'s Discussion of Auxiliary Tests

Abstract

In a widely cited study, Healy, Malhotra, and Mo (henceforth HMM) report that college football games influence elections. We reassess this surprising finding and conclude that, despite arising from a sound research design, it is a false-positive result that arose by chance. HMM responded to our study and raised further objections in an online document. We responded to the primary objections of HMM in our own reply, which was limited to 500 words. In this document, we elaborate upon our previous points and respond to the specific criticisms from HMM’s online reply.