Persons or parties as entry point for politics within party-centered electoral systems? A comparative study of voters in Norway and Denmark

Over the past decades, politics in most Western democracies has taken on a more personalised character, and politicians as individuals play a more significant role in shaping voter behaviour and influencing party choice (Kristi, 2011; van Aelst et al. 2012; Stayner, 2013; Balmas et al., 2014; Garzia et al., 2020). In a personalised political culture, emphasis is placed on the personal characteristics, attributes, and narratives of politicians. This can manifest in various ways, including a heightened focus on political personalities, their private lives, communication styles, and leadership qualities. While it can strengthen the connection between voters and leaders, increase engagement, and clarify accountability, the so-called personalisation of politics also raises concerns: it may come at the expense of attention on substantive policy issues, and a focus on the political leaders may overshadow the parties' overarching ideological positions and objectives (Karvonen, 2010). The prominence of individuals over parties is most pronounced in candidate-centered party systems (Söderlund, 2016). Whereas voters in party-centered systems have the option to vote for both or either a party or a candidate (personal vote), candidate-centered systems potentially relegate parties to the background as voters can only vote for candidates. However, party-centered systems are not a safeguard against personalisation, and within these systems there are significant variations in how much a personal vote impacts the election results depending on electoral laws. This is believed to carry substantial implications for the importance voters attribute to individuals as they navigate politics and make their choices. As a consequence, election systems may themselves effect how voters approach and reflect on politics. Based on comparative analysis of two party-centered electoral systems with open-list, Norway and Denmark – with different electoral laws regarding impact from personal votes, but very alike regarding the political history and landscape, economic and government structure as well as socio-demographic characteristics of the voters – this paper explores potential differences manifested in voters’ overall approach to politics: Are voters concerned with personal characteristics, political opinions, party-political aspects, and do they link political content to politicians as individual actors or party actors? Is it candidates or parties that constitute voters’ entry point to politics? Empirical data to answer this question is derived from open-ended diaries kept by voters through parliamentary election campaigns in Norway (2021) and Denmark (2022) using an app on their smartphone. This specific type of qualitative free-text data is precisely what recent research in voter behavior is seeking (Fredén & Sikström, 2021). Through diary method (Hyers, 2018; Bartlett and Milligan, 2015; Bolger et al., 2003), we can bring to light what conventional election re-search cannot reveal: voters' subjective reasoning and reflections, and what they find important. In this way, voters themselves have a voice and can provide insights into their thoughts and reflections on politics. Through what they choose to write in their diaries and the way they express it, we can gain insight into what individuals and parties signify: whether they hold equal importance or if one becomes the entry point for reflecting on the other.