Suchergebnisse

Political apathy & disinterest contribute to low voter turnout in second-order elections. In Germany, voter turnout in national elections remains relatively high. There is a high normative attitude in favor of voting & new modes of political campaigning have strengthened voter turnout. Politicians perceive political disinterest as a lack of legitimacy & recognize the decrease of voter turnout in the younger age groups. Newly planned electoral reforms try to implement new electoral rules & electoral infrastructures that lead to a higher influence of participation, a higher degree of personalization, & to new forms of absentee voting. Not all of these reforms will be successful. They are challenged by problems such as ensuring privacy, maintaining secrecy & integrity, & preserving equal access to the polls. 2 Tables, 2 Graphs, 49 References. Adapted from the source document.

Examines the June 2000 municipal election campaigns, results, and voter turnout in Romania; includes the parties which participated in the 1996 elections, revision of the Nov. 28, 1991 local electoral law, the particularities of the Bucharest and Sibiu elections, and other issues.

This paper investigates the relationship between mobility & voting behavior at different spatial levels. To this end, voter turnout in local municipality issues is compared to that in national matters. We find that the difference between local & national turnout strongly correlates with the mobility of a municipality's population. An explanation for the observed negative relationship is that social networks & the sense of duty toward the local community are weaker in municipalities where people are more mobile. In addition to this core result, it is discussed how mobility affects turnout at the local & national level separately, & it is shown how the different measures might be used as proxies for local social capital in a municipality. 5 Tables, 5 Graphs, 25 References. Adapted from the source document.

Die politische Partizipation von Indviduen ist eine eher indirekte Form der Einflußnahme auf ihre persönlichen Lebensverhältnisse. Die verschiedenen Möglichkeiten der Beteiligung am politischen System reichen von der Ausübung des aktiven und passiven Wahlrechts über die Mitgliedschaft in politischen Parteien und Organisationen bis hin zu unkonventionellen Formen der Teilnahme. Neben diesen objektiven Dimensionen verschiedener politischer Aktivitäten umfaßt ein weit gefaßtes Konzept der politischen Partizipation auch die subjektiven Dimensionen des politischen Interesses sowie des Vertrauens in das politische System.

Various data sources, including Eurobarometer statistics & ALLBUS data series for 1980-1994, are used to document & analyze the Federal Republic of Germany's declining voter turnout. The decline is attributed primarily to an increasing sense of distance from politics &, particularly, politicians. Some 55% of nonvoters in 1991/92 described themselves as politically centrist. Most said they were uninterested or not very interested in politics. In 1983, only 8.4% of nonvoters had no party affiliation. Ten years later, the figure had grown to 33.3%. It is concluded that a long-term bifurcation is likely. A small % of nonvoters will be strongly political & actively promote unconventional forms of political participation. The majority will be politically passive & apathetic. The potential for violence is considered. 11 Tables, 5 Graphs, 22 References. Adapted from the source document.

Von allen europäischen Staaten sind in Belarus das Streben nach Selbständigkeit und die nationale Volksidentität am wenigsten ausgeprägt. Die früher 'sowjetischste' aller Sowjetrepubliken befindet sich in einer tiefen Identitätskrise. Im Unterschied zu Rußland und der Ukraine hat Belarus keine Antikommunismus- und Souveränitätswelle erlebt. Der Transformationsprozeß hat in der Republik noch nicht begonnen. Die Dominanz Rußlands, seiner Kultur, Sprache und Wirtschaft ist in Belarus allgegenwärtig. (BIOst-Mrk)

Political apathy & disinterest contribute to low voter turnout. Historically, political & electoral instruments such as postal voting have been adopted to increase voter participation. Today, online voting & other forms of electronic voting are the more sophisticated high-tech versions of efforts to improve participation. Online voting instruments face many of the same challenges confronted by earlier reforms that include ensuring privacy, maintaining secrecy & integrity, & preserving equal access to the polls. Drawing on the path dependency literature in comparative politics, this paper argues that how countries address the new challenges associated with electronic voting is partly a function of their experience with postal voting reforms. In some countries, postal voting has a long tradition as an alternative to the balloting. Other countries have implemented universal all-postal voting systems. And still others are resistant to absentee voting & allow it for only a limited set of circumstances. The paper examines postal voting across six countries & considers how these experiences may influence the adoption of new electoral reforms. 1 Table, 34 References. Adapted from the source document.