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EN
This article examines the relationship between voter turnout (or, precisely, turnout intention) and variables related to the perception of the election campaign in the broader context of the other types of variables such as basic socio-demographic or political characteristics. The data used in this analysis are from surveys conducted during the period of three month before elections in 2010. All of the surveys were designed as public opinion polls and approximately 1000 Czech adults were interviewed nationwide at the beginning of each month. To explain the relationship between voter turnout (or rather a kind of readiness to vote) and the perception of the campaign, the binary logistic regression was chosen and three models were created. In relation to voter turnout, in addition to basic socio-demographic characteristics, the variables related to the perception of the election campaign are statistically significant, too. In the extended model, however, it is showed that behind the effects of most of them stands the rate of interest in politics. The only variable, which draws on a basis other than the interest in politics, proved to be awareness and acceptance of campaign influence on own voting behaviour. The frequency of consumption of media content proved to be more important than age, education and living standards. However, again behind these variables stands the interest in politics. Therefore, the interest in politics appears to be essential in relation to voter turnout in our analysis.
EN
Political participation is one of the most important democratic ideals. Democracy cannot function properly without citizens’ involvement. Moreover, low turnout can be a threat to democracy. There are two theoretical arguments why low voter turnout could matter in Central Eastern Europe. Firstly, countries in this region are still in a process of democratization. In such systems legitimacy of a regime by definition cannot be strong. Thus any device enhancing legitimacy, including widespread participation, is desired. Secondly, in non-democratic systems abstaining is one of the most common and well-known ways of de- legitimizing a regime. Therefore the main purpose of this paper is to analyze the relation between electoral turnout and legitimacy of democratic regime in Central Eastern Europe. In the first part I briefly discuss alternative models of democracy, which differently define the role of electoral participation. In the second part both legitimacy and turnout are discussed, while in the third part results of empirical analyses, reporting relations between the two variables are presented. The hypotheses are to be tested on the Consolidation of Democracy data.
EN
European Parliamentary election 2014 were the third elections for countries that joined European Union in 2004, including Poland. As we may observe from the very beginning of the EP’s history, elections suffer constant drop in voter turnout, and since 1999 the turnout total for less than 50%. There are many theories explaining this state of affairs, with most notable “second-order elections” and democracy deficit theories. Polish profile of voter turnout in EP elections seems to fit into frameworks of these theories, and is positioned among EU’s members with the lowest turnout. What is specific for electoral behaviour in Poland is stability: the turnout and support for political parties seems to stable and even petrified. This assessment seems to be supported by the results of election within past four years, both on aggregate and individual levels of data.
EN
One of the classic explanations of variation in voter turnout states that, all else being equal, the closer (the more competitive) the election in question the higher the respective turnout rate should be. In this paper, I examine whether this proposition holds in the context of the city president elections in Poland. I employ two different measures of election closeness to account for the substantive difference between the first and the second rounds of these elections. The results I present indicate that, while the effect of closeness on turnout in the first rounds of the 2002 and 2006 elections was moderately strong or even weak (and insignificant), the regularities observed in the second rounds lend arguably strong support to the closeness hypothesis.
EN
On 26 January 2023, a law amending the Electoral Code was adopted. The article aims to analyse the accepted solutions in the context of current political practice and voters’ decisions. The publication is enriched with considerations on research on voter turnout and absenteeism, as well as a description of the main changes introduced by the 2011 amendment to the Electoral Code.
EN
The present article focuses on the analysis of the effectiveness of compulsory voting and incentives for voting as election turnout motivators. The first part of the article discusses the level of turnout growth – the result of the introduction and the use of obligatory voting. Then, the article enumerates the characteristics of compulsory voting such as: sanctions, their enforcement, social recognition of the regulations and their efficacy in preventing the decline in electoral participation. Finally, the article analyses the institutional opposite to compulsory voting – incentives for voting and their impact on voter turnout.
EN
Over the past decade, several authors have tried to explain why people participate in elections by examining both direct and contingent effects of diverse sets of factors. While the direct effects follow a simple logic that some independent variable directly affects turnout, contingent effects work on the assumption that the influence of one explanatory variable differs across varying levels of another explanatory variable. In the previous research, the existence of latter effects has been justified on the basis of more or less convincing stories. An attempt is made here to provide a more general framework, stemming from the question, “At what moment do representative democracies achieve political equality?” From this starting point, the article introduces a near universal approach for understanding contingent effects in voter turnout theory and for developing various hypotheses that may be tested using multilevel models that include cross-level interaction.
EN
The second rounds of elections to the Czech Senate consistently suffer from the lowest voter turnout among all types of elections in the Czech Republic. Moreover, voter turnout and the share of invalid votes decrease substantially between the first and the second rounds of the Senate elections. This article enquires into the causes of the decrease. It builds on theories that emphasise the salience of elections and the decisiveness of voting and using data from all Senate electoral races between 1996 and 2012 tests several theoretical predictions drawn from these theories. Two types of regression models are employed to test these hypotheses. Surprisingly, the findings show that neither the closeness of the electoral race nor the presence of an incumbent or a communist candidate has an influence on voter turnout. The decrease in turnout between rounds and between electoral cycles is best explained by the fact that first-round elections coincide with other types of elections, and by the lack of ideologically polarised electoral races in the second rounds and the fragmentation of the first round contest. The substantial number of invalid votes in the fi rst rounds can be attributed to voting error rather than deliberate electoral behaviour. The article closes with several suggestions regarding the electoral system used in the Czech Senate elections and with a discussion of the implications of the findings for current research.
EN
The article aims to show the main political-geographic trends of the 2020 parliamentary elections in Georgia. The political systems of the post-Soviet counties are still imperfect and fragile. Although international observers recognised the vote results in Georgia as legitimate, many opposition parties boycotted the parliament for almost six months. It took several western officials to engage in regulating the post-election crisis. The work focuses on analysing turnout and voting patterns pointing to the changes that occurred in the last decade. A geographical study of elections enables one to identify the merits and drawbacks of the electoral process from the regional standpoint. The findings of the work underline the complexity of the election outcomes. While certain legal and political changes bring Georgia closer to European democracies, the country still lags in terms of several electoral/geographical features. 
PL
Celem artykułu jest sproblematyzowanie relacji między wiekiem a uczestnictwem wyborczym w Polsce, ich syntetyczne omówienie, a także analiza empiryczna. Mają one znaczenie dla wielu aspektów i obszarów życia społecznego, politycznego, gospodarczego, a szczególnej wagi nabierają współcześnie, w dobie fundamentalnych zmian demograficznych zachodzących w Polsce. Przeprowadzone przez nas analizy potwierdzają, odwołując się do najlepszych publicznie dostępnych danych empirycznych (PGSW), istnienie wyraźnych związków między wiekiem a uczestnictwem wyborczym. Te związki mają znaczenie dla procesu demokratycznego i politycznej reprezentacji. Rosnące dysproporcje między poszczególnymi grupami wiekowymi skutkują zmianą poziomu ich reprezentacji. Analiza wpływu wieku na wyborcze uczestnictwo (cyklu życiowego, okresu/momentu historycznego, kohorty) wskazuje na większe znaczenie cyklu życia i (względnie) mniejsze znaczenie doświadczeń pokoleniowych, generacyjnych, kohortowych. Odnotowywane w Polsce systematyczne różnice we frekwencji wyborczej między poszczególnymi grupami wiekowymi nie są świadectwem pokoleniowych różnic w (skłonności do) partycypacji. Większe znaczenie ma cykl życia i jego fazy.
EN
This article aims is to problematize and analyze the relationship between age and voter turnout in Poland. Our analyses use the best publicly available empirical data, i.e. Polish National Election Study (PGSW), to confirm clear relationships between age and voter turnout. These relationships are essential for the democratic process and political representation. They are crucial for many aspects of social, political and economic life, and are of particular importance nowadays, at the time of fundamental demographic changes in Poland. Increasing disparities between different age groups result in changes in their level of representation. The analysis of the influence of age on electoral participation 42 Mikołaj Cześnik, Piotr Zagórski (life cycle, historical period/moment, cohort) indicates a greater importance of the life cycle and a (relatively) lesser significance of generational and cohort experiences. The differences registered between particular age groups are not an evidence of generational differences in (propensity for) participation, rather, the life cycle and its phases have a greater importance.
PL
Celem badania jest ocena wpływu frekwencji wyborczej i wykształcenia radnych — które można rozpatrywać jako elementy oddziałujące na zależność agencyjną — na efektywność dostarczania przez gminy dóbr publicznych. Efektywność mierzono za pomocą indeksu efektywności działalności sektora publicznego (Public Sector Efficiency — PSE). Na podstawie próby przekrojowej oszacowano parametry modelu ekonometrycznego dla wszystkich gmin oraz w podziale na: miejskie łącznie z miastami na prawach powiatu, miejsko-wiejskie i wiejskie. W badaniu wykorzystano dane statystyczne GUS oraz Państwowej Komisji Wyborczej (PKW) za 2014 r. Uzyskane wyniki nie potwierdziły zależności agencyjnej rozumianej jako większe zaangażowanie obywateli w politykę i lepszą kontrolę władzy, wskazały jednak na możliwość występowania dodatniej zależności pomiędzy kompetencjami radnych a efektywnością dostarczania dóbr publicznych mieszkańcom gmin.
EN
The aim of the research is to assess the influence of voter turnout and education level of councillors — which can be considered as the elements affecting the agency relationship — on the efficiency of public goods delivery by gminas. Public Sector Efficiency (PSE) index was used as a measure of efficiency. On the basis of the cross-sectional sample, the parameters of the econometric model were estimated for all gminas and their brakedown into: urban including cities with powiat rights, urban-rural and rural. Data published by the CSO and the National Electoral Commission for 2014 were used. The results did not confirm agency dependence understood as a greater involvement of citizens in politics and better control of power. They indicated, however, the possibility of a positive relationship between councillors’ competencies and the efficiency of public goods delivery to the residents of gminas.
PL
Wybory do Parlamentu Europejskiego w Polsce charakteryzuje najniższa frekwencja wyborcza ze wszystkich typów głosowań. Jako przyczyny tego zjawiska wskazuje się m.in. brak wiedzy obywateli na temat roli i wpływu Parlamentu Europejskiego na politykę krajową oraz generalnie stosunkowo niską aktywność wyborczą Polaków. Jednocześnie stwierdzono, że głównym nośnikiem informacji na temat kandydatów i kampanii wyborczej jest telewizja. Szczególna zaś rola w tym zakresie spoczywa na telewizji publicznej, która ma ustawowo określone zadania i obowiązki związane z prezentowaniem tematyki wyborczej oraz kształtowaniem świadomości obywatelskiej. Wskazane jest zatem ustalenie, w jakim stopniu telewizja publiczna wywiązała się z postawionych przed nią zadań w 2014 r. uwzględniając fakt, iż frekwencja wyborcza nie osiągnęła w tym roku nawet 24%, a Polska pod tym względem zajęła jedno z ostatnich miejsc wśród państw Unii Europejskiej.
EN
Elections to the European Parliament in Poland are characterized by the lowest voter turnout of all the other kinds of elections. The following reasons, among others, for the phenomenon are pointed out: lack of knowledge of citizens about the role and influence of the European Parliament on the national policy and generally law election activity of Polish people. At the same time it was found that the main carrier of information about candidates and election campaign is television. A special role in this regard rests with public television, which has statutorily defined tasks and responsibilities associated with presenting electoral issues and shaping civic awareness. It is therefore advisable to establish to which extent public television fulfilled the tasks in 2014, taking into account the fact that the turnout did not reach even 24% that year, and Poland in this respect took one of the last places among European Union member states.
PL
Celem artykułu jest wyjaśnienie mobilizacji wyborczej i zwiększonego uczestnictwa w wyborach parlamentarnych, przeprowadzonych w Polsce jesienią 2019 roku. Frekwencja wyborcza po raz pierwszy w historii postkomunistycznej Polski przekroczyła w nich 60%. Pytania badawcze i hipotezy dotyczą wzrostu frekwencji, (rosnącej) stabilności wyborczej i/lub rosnącej mobilizacji, a także mechanizmów (poziomu makro i mikro) wyjaśniających obserwowane zjawisko. Ustalenia empiryczne potwierdzają (w znacznej części) postawione hipotezy. Frekwencja wyborcza w 2019 roku wzrosła na skutek „zatrzymania” w procesie wyborczym wyjątkowo wielu (jak na polskie warunki) wyborców, a także na skutek szerokiej mobilizacji osób dotychczas niegłosujących. Oba zjawiska miały związek z postępującą polaryzacją polityczną, zwiększającą się rywalizacyjnością wyborów i rosnącą identyfikacją partyjną elektoratów. Procesy te w części były efektem podmiotowego sprawstwa aktorów działających na polskiej scenie politycznej, a w części produktem „strukturalnych” fenomenów, dziejących się poza wolą i kontrolą tychże.
EN
This article aims to explain the electoral mobilization and increased participation in the parliamentary elections held in Poland in autumn 2019. Voter turnout exceeded 60% for the first time in the history of post-communist Poland. The research questions and hypotheses focus on the increase in turnout itself, (growing) electoral stability and/or increasing mobilization, and the (macro and micro level) mechanisms that explain the observed phenomena. The empirical findings confirm (in large part) the hypotheses. The 2019 electoral turnout increased as a result of decreasing electoral volatility, and in effect of the extensive mobilization of the non-voters. Both phenomena were related to growing political polarization, increasing competitiveness of elections, and growing party identification of voters. In part, these processes were the product of several actors’ agency, and in part, the outcome of ‘structural’ phenomena unfolding beyond their will and control.
14
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Nastoletni wyborcy. Z austriackich doświadczeń

75%
EN
In a democratic country, participation in elections is an indicator of the maturity of the civil society, the government should therefore enhance a broader mobilization of the citizens. Facing the challenge of an ageing society, demographic decline and the phenomenon of the low electoral turnout or a general decline of citizens’ interest in politics, some European countries have considered lowering the age limit for the right to vote to the age of sixteen. At European level, Austria is the first – and so far only country – to introduce the appropriate regulations in all types of elections in 2007. This article presents and analyzes the main arguments which were put forward in the discussion preceding the said changes in the election law as well as their outcomes based on the examples of parliamentary elections (in 2008 and 2013) and presidential elections (in 2010 and 2016). A systematic survey conducted in Austria allows us to conclude that politics can be made interesting for the young, however, it must be approached comprehensively, taking care of providing thorough and responsible civic education at schools and by using carefully selected communication channels. The government should also be able to prove that they truly care about this group of voters. Due to the topicality of the subject, the basic sources of this article are essentially statistical data, research analysis, statements, opinions and comments of scholars and politicians as well as press coverage.
PL
W artykule podjęto zagadnienie stosunku Polaków do Unii Europejskiej w kontekście ich aktywności wyborczej. Specyfika wyborów w Polsce wyraża się bowiem m.in. przez stosunkowo niską frekwencję wyborczą. Przyczyn takiego stanu rzeczy badacze upatrują w wielu czynnikach. Niemniej na szczególną uwagę zasługują, z tego względu właśnie, wybory do Parlamentu Europejskiego, gdyż frekwencja w tych wyborach w Polsce jest jedną z najniższych w całej Unii Europejskiej. Jest to tym bardziej zaskakujące, że jednocześnie zdecydowana większość Polaków deklaruje, iż popiera obecność Polski w strukturach unijnych i nadal, pomimo kryzysu migracyjnego i Brexitu, postrzega to jako jeden z priorytetów w polityce międzynarodowej państwa.
EN
The following article introduces the problem of the attitude of Poles towards the European Union (EU) in the context of their electoral activity. The elections in Poland are characterized by, among others, relatively low voter turnout. There are many different factors to such state of affairs. Nevertheless, the emphasis ought to be put on the election to the European Parliament, as the voter turnout in this particular election in Poland is one of the lowest in the whole EU. It is even more surprising given the fact that the vast majority of Poles declare their support for Poland’s presence in the EU and, despite the refugee crisis and Brexit, still perceive it as one of the priorities in Poland’s foreign policy.
PL
Przedmiotem artykułu jest zagadnienie frekwencji wyborczej w Polsce na poziomie ogólnokrajowym w latach 1990–2019. W szczególności autor skupił uwagę na roku 2019, gdyż zanotowano wówczas najwyższą frekwencję w wyborach parlamentarnych w analizowanym okresie. Celem badań było ustalenie przesłanek, które miały wpływ na wskazaną sytuację, na wzrost aktywności wyborczej obywateli RP. Przeprowadzona analiza skłania do wniosku, iż po przejęciu władzy przez Prawo i Sprawiedliwość w 2015 roku doszło do istotnych modyfikacji systemu społecznego, w tym politycznego, co przyczyniło się do zmiany wybranych cech sytuacji wyborczej i podwyższenia poziomu emocji politycznych. Konsekwencją był znaczny wzrost frekwencji wyborczej w 2019 roku, gdy odbyły się wybory do Parlamentu Europejskiego, jak również do Sejmu i Senatu. Podczas badań zastosowanie znalazły: metoda analizy i krytyki piśmiennictwa (źródeł), metoda systemowa, metody statystyczne.
EN
The article addresses the issue of voter turnout at the national level in Poland in 1990–2019. In particular, the author focused on 2019, when the turnout in parliamentary elections was the highest throughout the period under analysis. The aim of the study is to determine the reasons for this increase in the electoral activity of Polish citizens. The analysis leads to the conclusion that after the Law and Justice party took power in 2015, significant modifications of the social system, including the political system, ensued, thereby altering selected features of the electoral situation and raising the level of political emotions. The outcome involved a significant increase in voter turnout in 2019, when the elections to the European Parliament, as well as to the Polish parliament (the Sejm and Senate) were held. The study employs the following methods: analysis and criticism of literature (sources), the systemic method, and statistical methods.
PL
W artykule zostały wskazane przyczyny, trwającej od wielu lat, niskiej frekwencji wyborczej w Polsce. Przedstawione zostały trzy alternatywne techniki oddania głosu, które oprócz realizacji gwarancji powszechności wyborów mogą przyczynić się do podwyższenia frekwencji wyborczej. Głosowanie przez pełnomocnika oraz głosowanie korespondencyjne występują już w polskim prawie wyborczym. Głosowanie elektroniczne analizowane jest na podstawie wyników wyborów w Estonii, gdzie od 2005 roku jest ono wykorzystywane. W swym artykule szukam odpowiedzi na pytanie: która z zaprezentowanych technik oddania głosu najbardziej przyczynia się do podwyższenia frekwencji wyborczej.
EN
Article indicates the cause, lasting many years, the low voter turnout in Poland. They presented three alternative techniques to vote, which in addition to the guarantee of universal suffrage can help to increase turnout. Voting by proxy and postal vote are already in the Polish electoral law. Electronic voting is analyzed on the basis of the election results in Estonia, where since 2005 it is used. In his article, I am looking for answers to the question: which of the presented techniques voting contributes most to the increase turnout.
PL
Na przestrzeni ostatnich kilku lat w Polsce obserwuje sie rosnący udział mieszkańców miast w działaniach na rzecz najbliższego otoczenia. Jednym z przejawów tego zjawiska jest powstawanie i funkcjonowanie rad dzielnic i osiedli. Sytuacja ta dotyczy również Gdańska, gdzie do roku 2010 istniało ich zaledwie kilka, natomiast w 2015 r. wybrano rady aż w 29 z 34 dzielnic. Celem artykułu jest diagnoza uwarunkowań aktywności oddolnej gdańszczan i gdańszczanek w ramach tych wyborów oraz zbadanie jej powiązań z innymi formami zaangażowania obywatelskiego. W artykule przedstawiono również motywy inicjowania rad w dzielnicach oraz sposoby ich funkcjonowania, zwłaszcza w kontekście ograniczonych kompetencji najniższego poziomu demokracji samorządowej. Zastosowane metody objęły przegląd dokumentów dotyczących dzielnic oraz analize statystyczna wyników wyborów do jednostek pomocniczych w Gdańsku, także w zestawieniu z charakterystykami społeczno-ekonomicznymi poszczególnych dzielnic. W wytypowanych na tej podstawie jednostkach przeprowadzono dodatkowo indywidualne wywiady z przedstawicielami rad dzielnic.
EN
Within the past few years in Polish cities there has been a rise in residents’ participation in decision-making at the neighbourhood level. One of its symptoms is the creation and functioning of auxiliary units. Such is the situation in Gdansk, where before 2010 there existed only a few of them, while in 2015 district councils were elected in 29 out of 34 units. The aim of the paper is to diagnose the conditions of bottom-up activity of inhabitants of Gdansk in the elections to the district councils as well as to investigate their associations with other forms of civic engagement. The paper also presents motivations for initiation of district councils and the way they operate in, especially in consideration of their limited competence. The applied methods include a review of legal documents and a statistical analysis of the election results, including socio-economic characteristics in specific districts. Additionally, individual interviews with representatives of district councils were conducted to complement the picture.
PL
As a result of the social and demographic changes, including the ageing population, expansion of higher education and growing wealth, the higher voter turnout in the parliamentary elections may be expected in the future. Although since 1989 the core variables determining the electoral participation, which are sex, educational level, income, professional status, place of residence, frequency of religious practices have still been the same, the voters’ profiles reveal that the relationships between them are changing. Compared to the previous years, different variables are gaining significance. Education is becoming less important, whereas the role of the financial situation as a factor contributing to the voter turnout is increasing. However, the change of the voters’ profile does not lead to marginalization of groups who usually take part in elections less frequently. The differentiation in the impact on the choice of parliamentary representatives, measured by the concentration ratios, is weakening. The reasons can be sought not only in the voting habit being established, but also in the social and demographic changes.
PL
Proces wolnych i demokratycznych wyborów przeprowadzony w społeczeństwie obywatelskim zakłada wysoką partycypację w akcie głosowania. Niska frekwencja wskazuje na pewne dysfunkcje w systemie politycznym, w tym także wyborczym. Mogą też być symptomem poważnych problemów politycznych i społecznych. Powyższy artykuł zbiera i weryfi kuje różne przyczyny niskiej frekwencji w wyborach do Sejmu w latach 2001– 2015, a w szczególności przyczyny zróżnicowania przestrzennego tego zjawiska. Wyniki wykonanych badań wskazują, że na tym polu istnieje jeszcze wiele niewyjaśnionych hipotez. Różnice w wysokości frekwencji między regionami są jednak wciąż zauważalne.
EN
The process of free and democratic elections conducted in the civil society assumes high participation in the voting act. Low voter turnout indicates some dysfunctions in the political system, including electoral system. They can also be a symptom of serious political and social problems. The above article gathered and verifi es different reasons of the low voter turnout in the Sejm elections in 2001–2015, and in particular the reasons for spatial diversity of this phenomenon. The results of the research indicate that there are many unexplained hypotheses in this fi eld. However, the differences in voter turnout between regions are still noticeable.
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