Skąd się biorą głosy nieważne w wyborach do sejmików województw?
Invalid Ballots in Polish Regional Elections. Where are they from?

Summary/Abstract: The article describes the phenomenon of large shares of invalid ballots in regional elections held in 2010 and 2014 in Poland, simultaneously with municipal and county elections. The regression analysis (conducted with use of data disaggregated at the municipal level) demonstrates that the patterns of invalid votes’ distribution in 2010 and 2014 were similar. The models indicate a relatively strong impact of ballot card design. In 2014 a brochure ballot card was used in all regions; in 2010 brochure was used only in Mazowsze region, while in other regions voters used single-page ballot card. The analysis also demonstrates that invalid votes in regional elections were casted more frequently in small, peripheral communities where voters were mobilized to participate primarily in the election of local, not regional, councils.

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