How state context influences voter turnout across the United States may be understood in terms of the decision to vote as a function of the relative importance of state elections. Grounded in the second-order (subnational) elections idea, which frames the decision to vote in terms of whether or not voters perceive something major at stake in the election for an office or government, this study emphasizes the interplay between state fiscal policies and electoral consequences. Specifically, the central hypothesis is that in states in which expenditures or tax burdens are greater, the electoral stakes become higher, and people therefore are more likely to vote. This study not only advances a new rationale for voter turnout across the United States but also enhances our understanding of second-order elections more generally.