Abstract

ARRIAGADA, Alberto Riquelme. Unequal participation, unequal representation: how does poverty affect electoral participation in voluntary voting systems? The cases of Chile and Colombia. Rev. Fac. Derecho Cienc. Polit. - Univ. Pontif. Bolivar. [online]. 2021, vol.51, n.134, pp.261-289.  Epub Jan 04, 2022. ISSN 0120-3886.  https://doi.org/10.18566/rfdcp.v51n134.a11.

Voter turnout in Latin America is a field of broad study. However, it is necessary to draw attention to how poverty and inequality (historical problems in the region) affect the voting process. The present research aims to answer a question. How does poverty affect electoral participation in voluntary voting systems? Holding that people with higher incomes tend to vote more than those with low incomes, and, consequently, economic inequality becomes political inequality. To test this hypothesis, we take the cases of Chile and Colombia. Both governments with a voluntary voting system and whose average electoral participation is around 50%. Data from the last presidential elections of each country and their corresponding communal poverty rates are analyzed. The methodology used to analyze them is the ecological inference model of Thomsen (1987). We intend to reach conclusions about individual behavior from aggregate data. The main results obtained indicate that, of the total number of voters, the proportion of poor voters corresponds to 34.14% in Chile and 29.11% in Colombia. We conclude that it is necessary to reduce inequality to improve participation levels.

Keywords : Electoral participation; voluntary vote; inequality; income, poverty.

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