Wpływ ordynacji wyborczej i polaryzacji sceny politycznej na poziom frekwencji wyborczej
The impact of the electoral system and the polarization of the political scene on voter turnout

Summary/Abstract: Determinants of voter turnout are one of the most important areas of interest of public choice theory. This article aims to examine the impact of the electoral system and the polarization of the political scene on voter turnout. The survey covers elections to the national parliaments in 51 countries between 1961 – 2014. Data from the EMP project enabled the quantification of the polarization of the political scene. Regression models for all countries and for the Western Europe have shown that electoral system affects the level of the voter turnout. In both cases, the plurality/majority systems are characterized by a lower turnout than proportional systems. Powerful test with fixed effects for countries showed no impact of the polarization of the political scene on the level of the turnout. This may result from the presence of contradictory mechanisms binding polarity and the voter turnout.

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