Economic policies play a fundamental role in reducing inequality within countries, but such policies are subject to electoral cycles. This raises the question whether there exist electoral cycles in inequality. In this paper, we focus on this phenomenon. We show comprehensive evidence that income inequality decreases in the years of elections. This pattern is concentrated on close elections before which incumbent governments have stronger incentives to engage in policy actions due to higher uncertainty about the election outcome. We also examine whether elections can mitigate inequality of opportunity in regard to access to education. The results illustrate that governments allocate more resources to education in the years of elections. These findings point out that well-functioning democracies and increased political competition can be key in tackling inequality within countries.