Meer gewicht voor voorkeurstemmen op lokaal vlak: broodnodige of overbodige hervorming.

Abstract

Local governments have recently introduced instruments to establish more direct links between citizens and government, amongst others giving more weight to preferential voting. We have investigated for the Flemish local elections in what kind of municipalities voters are more likely to cast a preferential vote and where the electoral reform granting voters more power had most effect. Effects mainly occur in urban municipalities with low shares of preferential votes, because elsewhere local politics is already to a large extent personalize by locally well-known politicians.