None of the Above

Protest Voting in Latin American Democracies
Erscheinungsjahr 2024
ISBN: 978-0-472-07662-8
Verlag: University of Michigan Press

Buch, Englisch, 264 Seiten, Hardback, Format (B × H): 152 mm x 229 mm

Reihe: Weiser Center for Emerging Democracies

Around the world each year, millions of citizens turn out to vote but leave their ballots empty or spoil them. Increasingly, campaigns have emerged that promote “invalid” votes like these. Why do citizens choose to cast blank and spoiled votes? And how do campaigns mobilizing the invalid vote influence this decision? None of the Above answers these questions using evidence from presidential and gubernatorial elections in eighteen Latin American democracies. Author Mollie J. Cohen draws on a broad range of methods and sources, incorporating data from electoral management bodies, nationally representative surveys, survey experiments, focus groups, semi-structured interviews, and news sources. 

Contrary to received wisdom, this book shows that most citizens cast blank or spoiled votes in presidential elections on purpose. By participating in invalid vote campaigns, citizens can voice their concerns about low-quality candidates while also expressing a preference for high-quality democracy. Campaigns promoting blank and spoiled votes come about more often, and succeed at higher rates, when incumbent politicians undermine the quality of elections. Surprisingly, invalid vote campaigns can shore up the quality of democracy in the short term. None of the Above shows that swings in blank and spoiled vote rates can serve as a warning about the trajectory of a country’s democracy.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Fachgebiete

• Sozialwissenschaften Politikwissenschaft Politische Systeme Wahlen und Volksabstimmungen
• Sozialwissenschaften Politikwissenschaft Internationale Beziehungen

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Tables
Figures
Acknowledgments
Chapter 1. Introduction: None of the Above
Chapter 2. Invalid Ballots as a Protest Signal
Chapter 3. Campaigning for No-one: Invalid Vote Campaigns in Latin America
Chapter 4. Public Approval of Invalid Vote Campaigns
Chapter 5. Predicting the Electoral Success of Invalid Vote Campaigns
Chapter 6. A Tale of Two Departments: Tracing the Success of Invalid Vote Campaigns in Peru
Chapter 7. The Downstream Consequences of Invalid Vote Campaigns
Chapter 8. Conclusion
Chapter 1 Appendix
Chapter 2 Appendix
Chapter 4 Appendix
Chapter 5 Appendix
Chapter 6 Appendix
Chapter 7 Appendix
Bibliography
Notes
Index