Voter Turnout Research Articles

Innovation in Political Communication Strategy: A Qualitative Approach in Examining the Influence of Campaign Messages

This research investigates innovations in political communication strategies through a qualitative approach, focusing on the influence of campaign messages in the context of general elections in Indonesia. Through content analysis of campaign messages, this research identifies the main themes, framing strategies, and rhetoric used to influence voter perceptions. The findings of this research have practical implications for designing more effective campaign strategies, increasing more informed voter participation, and contributing new thinking to political literature and political marketing in Indonesia.

Why is voter turnout in presidential elections increasing among people concerned about the risk of COVID‐19 worsening in Africa?

AbstractThis article aims to explain why participation in presidential elections increased among people who feared the risk of worsening COVID‐19 in Africa. The analysis is based on a sample of 16,890 people living in 34 African countries. Econometric results suggest that fear of the pandemic's escalation can reduce citizens' willingness to participate in presidential elections. However, this negative effect changes based on perceptions of government management of the pandemic. We show that the likelihood of voting in a presidential election increases significantly among those afraid of the pandemic's worsening with (i) a lack of confidence in government statistics on COVID‐19; (ii) perceived corruption related to the COVID‐19 pandemic; (iii) a lack of confidence in the government's ability to ensure the safety of COVID‐19 vaccines; (iv) perceived insufficient public investment in combating health emergencies; and (v) perceived insufficient intervention by law enforcement in enforcing COVID‐19 control measures.Related ArticlesOnyango, Gedion, and Japheth Otieno Ondiek. 2022. “Open Innovation during the COVID‐19 Pandemic Policy Responses in South Africa and Kenya.” Politics & Policy 50(5): 1008–31. https://doi.org/10.1111/polp.12490.Stockemer, Daniel. 2016. “Is the Turnout Function in Democracies and Nondemocracies Alike or Different?” Politics & Policy 44(5): 889–915. https://doi.org/10.1111/polp.12174.Stockemer, Daniel, and Stephanie Parent. 2014. “The Inequality Turnout Nexus—New Evidence from Presidential Elections.” Politics & Policy 42(2): 221–45. https://doi.org/10.1111/polp.12067.

Loneliness in times of global polycrises

Global polycrises comprise the synchronous or consecutive occurrence of various crises, with no intervening phases of stability, e.g., coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, inflation, war and climate crisis. This poses challenges for both society as awhole and its individual members. Polycrises are associated with enormous psychological stress, especially for vulnerable groups. Polycrises also impair social interaction, which can trigger or intensify subjectively stressful loneliness. The aim of this narrative review is to show how loneliness affects social behavior in times of global polycrises and what the consequences are. Loneliness is associated with both mental and physical morbidity and mortality as well as being asignificant barrier to recovery. Studies have shown that there is amutual detrimental influence between mental illness and loneliness. The social behavior of chronically lonely people is characterized by anegative cognitive bias, hypervigilance in the social context and adysregulated oxytocin system. Furthermore, the quality and quantity of these relationships are significantly impaired. The social consequences of loneliness are, for example, adecrease in social engagement and low voting participation. The phenomenon of loneliness clearly shows that crises can exacerbate latent problems and bring them to the surface; however, crises should also be seen as an opportunity to openly and constructively address shame-laden topics such as loneliness in public discourse and in psychotherapeutic settings.

Kosningar, lýðræði og fatlað fólk

Kosningaréttur er grundvallarréttur þegna í lýðræðisríkjum og þátttaka í kosningum álitin ein af mikilvægustu athöfnum borgaranna. Þó að þessi réttindi skuli tryggð öllum þegnum sýna alþjóðlegar rannsóknir að fatlað fólk er víða útilokað frá þátttöku í kosningum. Fatlað fólk er síður líklegt til að kjósa en ófatlað fólk og mætir iðulega ýmsum hindrunum ef það reynir að taka þátt í kosningum. Þessi grein fjallar um kosningaþátttöku fatlaðs fólks með hliðsjón af niðurstöðum alþjóðlegra rannsókna. Í upphafi eru raktar helstu hindranir í vegi kosningaþátttöku fatlaðs fólks og leitast við að svara hvaða áhrif þessar hindranir hafi, ekki aðeins fyrir fatlaða borgara, heldur jafnframt hvað það þýði fyrir heilbrigði lýðræðis og lýðræðislegra stofnana þegar hluti þegnanna mætir alvarlegum hindrunum varðandi borgaraleg grundvallarréttindi. Íslenskar rannsóknir á þessu sviði eru ekki fyrir hendi og engin skipuleg tölfræðileg gögn eru til varðandi þátttöku fatlaðs fólks í kosningum eða stjórnmálum hér á landi. Byggt á gögnum sem aflað var hjá tveimur fjölmennustu heildarsamtökum fatlaðs fólks hér á landi er rýnt í reynslu, aðstæður og möguleika fatlaðs fólks til þátttöku í kosningum á Íslandi, lagasetningar þar að lútandi og skyldur ríkisins til að stuðla að og tryggja þátttöku fatlaðs fólks í stjórnmálum og opinberu lífi, ekki síst í ljósi þess að Samningur Sameinuðu þjóðanna (SÞ) um réttindi fatlaðs fólks (SRFF) hefur verið fullgiltur hér á landi.

Flexible representative democracy

AbstractWe introduce Flexible Representative Democracy (FRD), a novel hybrid of Representative Democracy and Direct Democracy in which voters can alter the issue-dependent weights of a set of elected representatives. In line with the literature on Interactive Democracy, our model allows the voters to actively determine the degree to which the system is direct versus representative. However, unlike Liquid Democracy, Flexible Representative Democracy uses strictly non-transitive delegations, making delegation cycles impossible, and maintains a fixed set of accountable, elected representatives. We present Flexible Representative Democracy and analyze it using a computational approach with issues that are binary and symmetric. We compare the outcomes of various voting systems using Direct Democracy with majority voting as an ideal baseline. First, we demonstrate the shortcomings of Representative Democracy in our model. We provide NP-Hardness results for electing an ideal set of representatives, discuss pathologies, and demonstrate empirically that common multi-winner election rules for selecting representatives do not perform well in expectation. To analyze the effects of adding delegation to representative voting systems, we begin by providing theoretical results on how issue-specific delegations determine outcomes. Finally, we provide empirical results comparing the outcomes of various voting systems: Representative Democracy, Proxy Voting, and FRD with issue-specific delegations. Our results show that variants of Proxy Voting yield no discernible benefit over unweighted representatives and reveal the potential for Flexible Representative Democracy to improve outcomes as voter participation increases.

Economic insecurity in the 2022 Italian general election: mobilization or withdrawal?

A right-wing coalition led by Giorgia Meloni’s Brothers of Italy (FdI) emerged as the clear winner of the 2022 Italian general election, with voter turnout reaching its lowest level in the history of the Italian Republic. This result unfolded amidst a long-standing sense of economic stagnation, escalating inequality, and rising inflation. The article explores the relationship between individual economic insecurity and the 2022 election results. There is an assumption in both public and scholarly discourse that economic insecurity is responsible for the rise of populist and, particularly, populist radical-right (PRR) parties. Does the 2022 Italian general election represent a case of mobilization or withdrawal of the economically insecure electorate? Building on the literature on populist success and the economy’s effects on political behavior, we find that economic insecurity was not behind the success of the PRR parties (the League and FdI) in the 2022 election. It was also not associated with the vote for the main populist non-radical-right party in the Italian political landscape: the 5-Star Movement. On the contrary, in this election, economic insecurity mostly deterred voters from casting their ballots, and the success of the PRR can mostly be explained by anti-immigration attitudes.

Factors of Political Participation of Beginner Voters Not Using Their Voting Rights in Elections in West Java

This study aims to examine the factors that influence the political participation of novice voters not using their voting rights in elections in West Java. The method used in this research is to use a qualitative approach, namely the descriptive method. This research will provide an opportunity for subjects (first-time voters) to answer the questions asked according to their own experiences, and not based on the benchmark answers that have been made by researchers. This means that first-time voters behave and act in such a way as to feel free to use their knowledge and experience of the topics offered. The conclusion of this research is that there are several factors that encourage students of Langlangbuana University to use their voting rights during elections. Some of the factors found are factors of political stimulation, in order to realize the importance of using voting rights. Then the second factor is the factor of the characteristics of the person, because those with a social character who have great social concern for social, political, economic, socio-cultural, and defense problems, usually want to be involved in political activities. The third is the factor of the social environment, and the last is the factor of political education that novice voters get. Most of the students of Langlangbuana University already have care and awareness about the importance of their voting rights in the election, and have desires and hopes for the people they will choose as leaders in this country.

Educating Students for Political Participation: Bringing “Voting is Social Work” to Life

ABSTRACT Elections have become the new battleground for democracy and civil rights. Yet few social work programs provide opportunities for students to gain competency in electoral politics and voter engagement. This article describes an elective course for Master of Social Work students offered in the runup to the 2018 and 2020 elections. Using classroom and community-based learning, students engaged in activities designed to maximize voter participation. Feedback derived from multiple sources speaks to student learning, feelings of accomplishment, a recognition that voting matters, and insights regarding the link between voting and social work. This course represents one model that can be replicated, in whole or in part, as social work programs seek to incorporate voting-related activities into their curricula.

Who Pays the Price for the Cost of Voting

This paper will explore the combined effect of restrictive voting policies­ as measured by the Cost of Voting Index (COVI), a measure developed by political scientists associated with States United Democracy Center and Northern Illinois University—on voter turnout in Presidential elections, paying specific attention to the impact of such policies on minority populations. It will explore the state-level relationships between the cost associated with voting policies and the voter turnout rate of racial groups in presidential elections over the period of 1996 to 2016, examining the question of how voting rights policies influence the turnout rate of minority voters in U.S. presidential elections.

Political participation and financial education: Understanding personal and collective tradeoffs for a better citizenship

The paper documents a positive association between political participation, measured by the number of citizens voting at national elections, and awareness of the tradeoffs behind both private and public decisions that indicators of basic financial education can capture. The association is robust to the inclusion of a range of controls, stronger for the most difficult concepts of risk diversification and interest compounding, and consistent with the hypothesis that in countries where financial education is higher due to national cultural traits, voter turnout at national elections is higher.

Quality of Democracy in Des Sidodadi Ramunia Through Political Participation of New Voters in the 2024 General Election

Quality of Democracy in Des Sidodadi Ramunia Through Political Participation of New Voters in the 2024 General Election

Anonymous voting using distributed ledger-assisted secure multi-party computation

High voter turnout in elections and referendums is desirable to ensure a robust democracy. Secure electronic voting is a vision for the future of elections and referendums. Such a system can counteract factors hindering strong voter turnout such as the requirement of physical presence during limited hours at polling stations. However, this vision brings transparency and confidentiality requirements that render the design of such solutions challenging. Specifically, the counting implementation must support reproducibility, and the choice of individual voters must remain confidential. In this paper, we propose and evaluate a novel referendum protocol that ensures transparency, confidentiality, and integrity, in trustless networks. The protocol is built by combining secure multi-party computation and distributed ledger technology, e.g., a Blockchain. The persistence and immutability of the protocol communication allow verifiability of the referendum outcome by any participant. Voters therefore do not need to trust third parties. We provide a formal description and conduct a thorough security evaluation of our proposal.

Exploring Youth's Knowledge, Attitudes, and Readiness Towards Implementation of Undi18 in Batang Padang District, Perak

The amendment to the Federal Constitution in 2019, lowering the voting age from 21 to 18, sparked discussions on the preparedness and maturity of individuals in this age group to participate in elections. Recognizing the necessity for a comprehensive political communication strategy to effectively engage and prepare youth, a structured framework with a defined objective has been developed. This study aims to assess the level of knowledge, attitude, and readiness among youth in the Batang Padang district regarding voting at age 18, and analyse the factors influencing their participation. Using a quantitative approach, the study employs a questionnaire as its primary instrument, gathering responses from a sample of 462 individuals aged 18 to 20 in the Batang Padang district, Perak. The findings reveal a commendable level of knowledge among youth, albeit with a moderate attitude and readiness towards voting. Furthermore, the study identifies motivating factors for youth participation in voting, including personal responsibility, political party influence, peer interactions, the impact of social media influencers, and family influence. This research aims to provide valuable insights and empirical data to stakeholders, aiding in the development of targeted strategies to engage and prepare youth for active participation in the nation's democratic processes.

Cultural sources of gender gaps: Confucian meritocracy reduces gender inequalities in political participation

The historical oppression of women in China mirrors the experiences of women in many other cultures. During the imperial era, Confucian ideologies and institutions played a significant role in perpetuating women's disenfranchisement. This perception has become deeply entrenched, to the extent that contemporary discussions on women's status often automatically refer to lingering Confucian legacies as one of the obstacles to achieving gender equality. However, this study offers a nuanced perspective by shedding light on how certain aspects of Confucianism, notably meritocracy, may serve to empower modern-day women. The research focuses on the Chinese context, particularly the historically significant Confucian-based meritocratic institution known as the civil examination system (keju). I argue that historical meritocratic legacies can have a lasting impact on contemporary behavior, specifically by reducing the gender gap in political participation in local village elections. Using data from historical archives and the China General Social Survey, I find a negative correlation between a prefecture's historical success in the keju exams and the gender gap in village election turnout among present-day respondents. Further exploratory analyses reveal that the enduring Confucian tradition of meritocracy also empowers other low-status social groups, including the economically disadvantaged and the less educated.

Boosting Novice Voters: Strategy of the Independent Election Commission for the 2024 General Election in West Aceh District

This comprehensive study examines the strategies employed by the Independent Election Commission (IEC) to boost the participation of novice voters in the pre-election phase leading up to the 2024 General Election in West Aceh District. Novice voters aged 17 to 21 play a significant role in measuring electoral efficacy and vitality. Recognized by political stakeholders, their engagement affects the electoral landscape due to their diverse characteristics and challenges compared to previous generations, such as lack of interest, awareness, knowledge, and apathy. So, this research was carried out to analyze the strategies used by the IEC towards novice voters. This study adopts David's (2004) strategy theory in strategic management, which includes formulation, implementation, and evaluation. Conducted in West Aceh Regency, this study examines the initiatives and challenges of the IEC in engaging novice voters. Through careful empirical data analysis, this study aims to improve the electoral process and consolidate democracy in Indonesia. The research findings reveal insights into the effectiveness of the IEC's strategies and highlight areas for improvement. This study provides valuable insights for future election planning, encouraging more equitable and inclusive practices. However, several problems in its implementation need to be resolved, mainly the need for more human resources and budget.

The relationship between the lifestyle health index and voter turnout during the 2020 United States presidential election in the context of regional cultures

ObjectivesThere are numerous population health challenges confronting the United States (U.S.), including the unhealthy lifestyle – chronic disease pandemics. However, the impact of unhealthy lifestyle behaviors and the increased prevalence of chronic diseases that result from them affect many facets of life outside of the health domain, and their scope remains under-appreciated. The current analysis contributes to addressing this knowledge gap by comparing the newly developed Lifestyle Health Index (LHI) to U.S. county-level voter turnout rates in the 2020 presidential election. Study designDescriptive, cross-sectional, retrospective analysis. MethodsCounty-level data on the LHI, percent voter turnout, and the American Nations regional cultures model schematic was used in the current analysis. ResultsPearson correlations between county-level LHI scores and sub scores and Democratic, Republican, and overall voter turnout were all statistically significant and of similar strength (r > 0.63, p < 0.001). All counties in the worst performing LHI quartile had a voter turnout <60 %. Higher LHIs were consistently assocaited with lower voter turnout across the regional cultures, although heterogeneity was evident across the American Nations. ConclusionsA large percentage of the U.S. population is afflicted with poor health, and unhealthy lifestyle behaviors are a primary driver. Poor health does not occur in a vacuum and impacts many other facets of an individual's life. The current study further demonstrates the potential detrimental impact of poor health on civic engagement, specifically participation in the electoral process (i.e, citizens' health may influence voter turnout). Health care professionals and institutions in the U.S. should uniformly embrace the recent policy brief by the American College of Physicians on participation in the electoral process for patients receiving care. This paradigm shift has the potential to substantially improve voter turnout during U.S. elections.

Crossing borders, casting votes: examining migrant electoral turnout in Chile (2012–2020)

ABSTRACT Our analysis focuses on the determinants of electoral participation among migrants, considering individual factors—gender and age—and variables from their countries of origin, such as economic, political, and institutional aspects. We specifically look at Chile, where migrants are allowed to vote in all elections after acquiring five years of permanent residency. Utilizing a comprehensive administrative census covering over 70 million voters, including 1.2 million migrants, from 2012 to 2020, our findings reveal several key patterns: Gender and age significantly influence voting behavior, with higher turnout among women and older migrants. Additionally, migrants from wealthier nations tend to vote less compared to those from poorer countries. Furthermore, the presence of compulsory voting in the origin country significantly increases participation among migrants, especially those from less democratic or non-democratic countries. This study bridges theoretical models that focus on individual variables and those that emphasize the impact of origin country characteristics on migrant electoral behavior.

DemocracyGuard: Blockchain‐based secure voting framework for digital democracy

AbstractOnline voting is gaining traction in contemporary society to reduce costs and boost voter turnout, allowing individuals to cast their ballots from anywhere with an internet connection. This innovation is cautiously met due to the inherent security risks, where a single vulnerability can lead to widespread vote manipulation. Blockchain technology has emerged as a promising solution to address these concerns and create a trustworthy electoral process. Blockchain offers a decentralized network of nodes that enhances transparency, security, and verifiability. Its distributed ledger and non‐repudiation features make it a compelling alternative to traditional electronic voting systems, ensuring the integrity of elections. To further bolster the security of online voting, we propose DemocracyGuard platform on the Ethereum blockchain, which incorporates facial recognition technology to authenticate voters. By leveraging these advancements, DemocracyGuard aims to provide a secure and resilient platform for online voting, paving the way for its broader adoption and revolutionizing the electoral landscape.

Shared Space and Civic Engagement: Block Parties and Voter Turnout in Philadelphia

Along with socioeconomic resources, “strong ties” of family and friends increase political engagement. However, most daily interactions are casual encounters with “weak” social ties. How do these interactions shape political participation in urban environments? Interpersonal contact with weak ties may enable information sharing and increase voting participation. Using an original individual-level dataset that merges geocoded Census data, voter file data, and city permits for neighborhood “block parties” in Philadelphia, this study explores the ways one-off events that draw neighbors together influence turnout. The results show neighborhood block parties are positively associated with individual-level voting. These mobilizing effects are particularly visible in African American neighborhoods. Taking advantage of the fact that some blocks request permits some years and not others, the data allow for time-variant tests, linking changes in the strength of neighborhood-based “weak ties” with increased turnout. This research suggests that casual interactions among neighborhood weak ties shape political engagement.

Sosialisasi Pemilu Damai: Meneguhkan Partisipasi Pemilih Pemula Milenial Dalam Pemilu 2024

This service activity aims to provide socialization on the implementation of 2024 Peaceful Election, which focuses on strengthening the participation of millennial beginner voters in Joyotakan Subdistrict, Surakarta in this five-year Democratic Party. This service activity was carried out in three stages, encompassing preparation, socialization, and evaluation. In the preparation stage, this was done by collecting administrative data from residents of Joyotakan Subdistrict and first-time voters consisting of students from SMK Muhammadiyah 1 Joyotakan. In the socialization stage, it was realized in the form of open seminars held for two (2) days, and in the evaluation stage, it was carried out with the aim of understanding the extent to which this activity has achieved the stated objectives, as well as to identify related strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. The enthusiasm of the seminar participants, especially the first-time millennial voters, is very good in participating in this seminar. Thus, it is hoped that they will have a firm desire to participate in the 2024 Peaceful Elections by both monitoring and properly using their voting rights without being provoked by false news issues.