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None of the Above: Protest Voting in the World's Largest Democracy

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  • Gergely Ujhelyi
  • Somdeep Chatterjee
  • Andrea Szabó

Abstract

Who are “protest voters” and do they affect elections? We study this question using the introduction of a pure protest option (“None Of The Above” (NOTA)) on Indian ballots. Using structural estimation, we find that in elections without NOTA, most protest voters simply abstain. Protest voters who turn out scatter their votes among many candidates and consequently have little impact on election results. From a policy perspective, NOTA may be an effective tool to increase political participation, and can attenuate the electoral impact of compulsory voting.

Suggested Citation

  • Gergely Ujhelyi & Somdeep Chatterjee & Andrea Szabó, 2021. "None of the Above: Protest Voting in the World's Largest Democracy," Journal of the European Economic Association, European Economic Association, vol. 19(3), pages 1936-1979.
    • Handle: RePEc:oup:jeurec:v:19:y:2021:i:3:p:1936-1979.
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    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1093/jeea/jvaa047
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    Cited by:

    1. Nathan Canen & Kristopher Ramsay, 2024. "Quantifying theory in politics: Identification, interpretation, and the role of structural methods," Journal of Theoretical Politics, , vol. 36(4), pages 301-327, October.
    2. Somdeep Chatterjee & Jai Kamal, 2021. "Voting for the underdog or jumping on the bandwagon? Evidence from India’s exit poll ban," Public Choice, Springer, vol. 188(3), pages 431-453, September.
    3. Chatterjee, Somdeep & Mookerjee, Mehreen & Ojha, Manini & Roy, Sanket, 2023. "Does increased credibility of elections lead to higher political competition? Evidence from India," European Journal of Political Economy, Elsevier, vol. 77(C).
    4. Somdeep Chatterjee & Pushkar Maitra & Manhar Manchanda, 2024. "The Relevant Third: Threat of Coalition and Economic Development," Monash Economics Working Papers 2024-13, Monash University, Department of Economics.

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