ЭЛЕКТОРАЛЬНЫЕ ПРЕДПОЧТЕНИЯ ИЗБИРАТЕЛЕЙ: ЭФФЕКТ «ДРУЗЕЙ И СОСЕДЕЙ» ИМЕЕТ ЗНАЧЕНИЕ В РОССИИ?

Abstract

The article examines the level of influence of the spatial characteristics of the candidate on the voting results. The author seeks to answer three questions: do «local» candidates have advantages? What determines the propensity of voters to vote for «local» politicians? What is the magnitude of the «friends and neighbors» effect on the election results? It is shown that candidates, as a rule, receive more votes in their «home» towns (districts). The author notes that most of the studies are based on electoral data for the United States and European countries. The number of papers devoted to understanding the spatial attributes of candidates in elections in Russia is limited. A geographical factor such as the «friends and neighbors» voting was chosen as the conceptual basis of the study. To answer the research questions, the author analyzed the data collected during the online survey. The article compared the results of «local» candidates in direct gubernatorial elections, which they received at the regional level, with the votes of voters in the «home» district. Based on the results of the study, the author came to the conclusion that voters tend to electorally support «local» candidates. The results show that voters with a more pronounced local identity are more concerned about the spatial attributes of candidates. The article notes that the tendency to vote for «local» candidates for deputies depends on the level of organization of elections: support for «local» candidates is more pronounced in municipal elections/ The author emphasizes that the «friends and neighbors» voting gives «local» candidates 4,92% of the vote.