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Election symbols and vote choice: evidence from India

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  04 January 2024

Alexander Lee Open the ORCID record for Alexander Lee [Opens in a new window]  and
Weihong Qi Open the ORCID record for Weihong Qi [Opens in a new window]
Alexander Lee*
Affiliation:
Political Science, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14627, USA
Weihong Qi
Affiliation:
Political Science, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14627, USA
*
Corresponding author: Alexander Lee; Email: alexander.mark.lee@gmail.com
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Abstract

A large literature has shown that ballot order and ballot structure can influence vote choice. We focus on another behavioral cue for voting, the symbols that are assigned to candidates in many democracies. We take advantage of a naturally occurring experiment in India, where independent candidates can choose from a list of free symbols and conflicting choices are resolved by a drawing of lots. We find that winning the draw has a substantial positive effect on vote share. We also find some evidence that candidates attempt to choose their symbols strategically, for instance choosing household goods common in their constituencies.

Keywords

Elections and campaigns
Type
Research Note
Information
Political Science Research and Methods , First View , pp. 1 - 9
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of EPS Academic Ltd

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References

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Lee and Qi Dataset

Dataset

https://doi.org/10.7910/DVN/TJ8CUV
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