Comparative Analysis of Voting Participation: The Case of Turkey's 2009 Local and 2011 National Elections

Abstract

This study comparatively analyzes voting participation through population sizes in local and national elections in Turkey. By equating and dividing the constituencies of 2009 local elections and 2011 national elections into 13 categories according to the number of voters, the study attempts to test hypotheses, such as local elections are carried out under the influence of national politics; and voters perceive local elections as less important than national elections. The study finds a steady decline in turnout rates in local elections, but not in national elections, while turnout in metropolitan areas is higher in national than local elections.