The meanings of ‘voting’ for ordinary citizens

Abstract

Chair: Shane Martin, Anthony King Chair of Comparative Politics at the University of Essex Speaker: Carolina Plescia, University of Vienna On Election Day, citizens are traditionally called upon to express their democratic voice by marking their preference on a ballot paper. The significance of this mark has long been assumed to carry deep and substantive meaning for citizens. However, today's political landscape presents challenges to this conventional wisdom, with increasing rates of abstention, growing distrust in election administration, and the rise of democratic backsliding. This inaugural lecture unveils an ambitious project that not only seeks to provide pioneering insights into what 'voting' truly means for ordinary citizens, but also explores the variations in these meanings across individuals and different types of democracies. We delve into how elections shape and redefine the significance of voting for citizens, and we examine the consequential attitudes and behaviours that result from these meanings.