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Concurrent Elections and Voter Turnout: The Effect of the De‐linking of State Elections on Electoral Participation in India's Parliamentary Polls, 1971–2004

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  • Csaba Nikolenyi

Abstract

This article examines the effect that the decoupling of state and national elections has had on voter turnout in India's national parliamentary polls since 1971. According to conventional wisdom in the comparative literature on electoral turnout, separate elections to multiple levels and/or branches of government should depress turnout relative to co‐temporal polls, ceteris paribus. The evidence from Indian elections provides strong confirmation for this hypothesis. This suggests that political decentralization through separate national and local elections may actually weaken citizens' incentives to participate in the democratic electoral process.

Suggested Citation

  • Csaba Nikolenyi, 2010. "Concurrent Elections and Voter Turnout: The Effect of the De‐linking of State Elections on Electoral Participation in India's Parliamentary Polls, 1971–2004," Political Studies, Political Studies Association, vol. 58(1), pages 214-233, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:polstu:v:58:y:2010:i:1:p:214-233
    DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-9248.2009.00779.x
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    5. Christopher Hanks & Bernhard Grofman, 1998. "Turnout in gubernatorial and senatorial primary and general elections in the South, 1922–90: A rational choice model of the effects of short-run and long-run electoral competition on relative turnout," Public Choice, Springer, vol. 94(3), pages 407-421, March.
    6. Hanks, Christopher & Grofman, Bernard, 1998. "Turnout in Gubernatorial and Senatorial Primary and General Elections in the South, 1922-90: A Rational Choice Model of the Effects of Short-Run and Long-Run Electoral Competition on Relative Turnout," Public Choice, Springer, vol. 94(3-4), pages 407-421, March.
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    Cited by:

    1. Daniel Stockemer, 2017. "Electoral Participation: How to Measure Voter Turnout?," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 133(3), pages 943-962, September.
    2. Arandjelović, Ognjen, 2023. "A Modest Proposal for Preventing the Votes of People with Short Life Expectancy From Being a Long-Term Burden to Their Country," SocArXiv qkg4f, Center for Open Science.

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