Abstract

GREENE, Kenneth F.  and  SIMPSER, Alberto. Electoral Handouts During Mexico’s 2018 Elections. Polít. gob [online]. 2020, vol.27, n.2, ePYG1309.  Epub Feb 17, 2021. ISSN 1665-2037.

Election-season handouts of goods and services by political parties are endemic in Mexico’s new democracy, and the practice appears to be increasing since 2000. Using information from a 2018 election-season panel data set of ordinary citizens, we provide the most detailed examination yet available of vote-buying attempts in Mexico. Such efforts were practiced by nearly all parties, involved millions of citizens, included a variety of material offers, and attempted to induce voters to alter their electoral behavior in myriad ways. Nevertheless, descriptive evidence implies that compliance with political machines’ wishes may have been low because many recipients had a muddled understanding of what they were asked to do and did not fear retribution from the vote buying party. In addition, circumstantial evidence suggests that vote-buying efforts were insufficient to overturn the winning candidate’s advantage in the presidential election.

Keywords : elections; vote buying; electoral integrity; trust.

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