The burden of election logistics: Election ballots and the territorial influence of party machines in colombia

Santiago Alles, Mónica Pachón, Manuela Muñoz

Research output: Contribution to journalResearch Articlepeer-review

1 Scopus citations

Abstract

A ballot reform was adopted in Colombia in early 1990s. The traditional paper ballots, which were printed and distributed by parties, were replaced by an Australian ballot—an office-centered design in which the electoral authority was responsible for its distribution. The article examines about 5,800 department-level legislative lists, during 10 election cycles between 1970 and 2002, to evaluate the consequences of the reform. The evidence shows that candidates expanded the geographical scope of their campaigns after the ballot reform and that party bases became more geographically dispersed. Moreover, the evidence indicates that the new ballot undermined the power of party leaders to coordinate factions, resulting in a considerable increase in the number of lists—and with it, of wasted votes. These findings suggest that an arguably minor reform, such as the adoption of a new ballot form, may have major implications for democratic representation.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)1635-1651
Number of pages17
JournalJournal of Politics
Volume83
Issue number4
DOIs
StatePublished - Oct 2021
Externally publishedYes

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Sociology and Political Science

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'The burden of election logistics: Election ballots and the territorial influence of party machines in colombia'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this