VOTING STRATEGIES IN RUSSIAN MUNICIPAL MULTI-MEMBER DISTRICTS: THE MULTIDIMENSIONALITY OF ELECTORAL PREFERENCES AND THE INCONSISTENCY OF THE “SWEEP EFFECT”
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17072/2218-1067-2026-3-37-47Keywords:
multiple non-transferable vote, electoral systems, sweep effect, Russian municipal elections, voter strategiesAbstract
The "sweep effect", the most well-known consequence of the multiple non-transferable vote system, is inconsistent. This may be related to the broad voting opportunities provided by the electoral system, which facilitate the formation of diverse voting strategies. In this study, these strategies are classified based on the prevailing models of candidate selection by voters and the multidimensionality of electoral preferences. The prevalence of each voting strategy may affect the level of vote heterogeneity within party slates, which, in turn, may either facilitate or hinder the emergence of the "sweep effect." This study examines whether the strategy most favorable to the emergence of this consequence prevails among Russian voters. Given the availability of only aggregate data, the study employs a partial indirect assessment based on identifying stable and substantively meaningful relationships between candidates’ characteristics and their electoral results. Using a large dataset on Russian municipal elections and several regression models, the study demonstrates that many candidate characteristics, including gender, age, employment, incumbency, and perceived ethnicity, are associated with electoral outcomes. This may suggest that party affiliation is not the only factor shaping voters’ candidate selection. Thus, the assumption that voting strategies are based solely on party affiliation lacks sufficient empirical support.
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