NewsWhore
05-16-2008, 03:10 PM
Of the eligible voters in the presidential election in 2000, 24% did not go to vote. In 2004, 27% did not go to vote.
Economist Bernardo Vega writing in Clave speculates that this year the rate of abstention will increase because the vote will primarily be cast "for the least bad" of the candidates, that is with little enthusiasm.
In the DR, abstention is usually low because voting is a social event. With not much else to do for those who stay in their homes (given that most businesses close), voting is just the thing to do on the day. It is a time to see the same people who attend the neighborhood voting centers, which is motivation enough to get out of bed and go see who they will meet again. Another motivation is to check out the new systems in place and actually get to see the scanners that have generated so many headlines.
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#4)
Economist Bernardo Vega writing in Clave speculates that this year the rate of abstention will increase because the vote will primarily be cast "for the least bad" of the candidates, that is with little enthusiasm.
In the DR, abstention is usually low because voting is a social event. With not much else to do for those who stay in their homes (given that most businesses close), voting is just the thing to do on the day. It is a time to see the same people who attend the neighborhood voting centers, which is motivation enough to get out of bed and go see who they will meet again. Another motivation is to check out the new systems in place and actually get to see the scanners that have generated so many headlines.
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#4)