Who votes in Latin America? A test of three theoretical perspectives

Abstract

Previous studies of electoral participation in Latin America have focused on the political and institutional factors that influence country differences in the aggregate level of turnout. This article provides a theoretical and empirical examination of the individual-level factors that have an impact on citizens’ propensity to vote. We test three theoretical perspectives that have been used to explain electoral participation in industrialized democracies (voters’ resources, voters’ motivations, and mobilization networks). Using a series of logistic and hierarchical models, we demonstrate that the demographic characteristics of voters (age and education) and citizens’ insertion in mobilizing networks (civic organizations and the working place) are strong predictors of electoral participation in Latin America. Our analysis also confirms the importance of contextual and institutional variables to explain turnout in the region.

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