| ID | 177177 |
| Title Proper | Emigrant Inclusion in Home Country Elections |
| Other Title Information | Theory and Evidence from sub-Saharan Africa |
| Language | ENG |
| Author | ELIZABETH IAMS WELLMAN ; Wellman, Elizabeth Iams |
| Summary / Abstract (Note) | Since 1990, nearly 100 countries extended voting rights to citizens living abroad, including 32 in sub-Saharan Africa. However, the actual ability for emigrants to vote in subsequent elections varies widely. Whereas others view diaspora enfranchisement as a signal to emigrant and international audiences, I argue that incumbent parties expand or restrict emigrant voter access depending on party perceptions of political support abroad. I first leverage the multiple reversals over emigrant inclusion in South African elections since 1994 to illuminate how changing dynamics between an incumbent party and citizens abroad shape emigrant voter access. I further test my argument with an original dataset covering multiple dimensions of external voting in every African election where emigrants had voting rights from 1990 to 2015. I find a robust relationship between emigrant voter access and diaspora support for the incumbent party. |
| `In' analytical Note | American Political Science Review Vol. 115, No.1; Feb 2021: p.82 - 96 |
| Journal Source | American Political Science Review Vol: 115 No 1 |
| Key Words | Sub-Saharan Africa ; Emigrant Inclusion ; Home Country Elections |