Assessing Candidates at Home and Abroad: A Comparative Analysis of Colombian Expatriates in the 2010 Presidential Elections

Abstract

This article examines candidate favorability among Colombian expatriates and Colombians in the home country in the 2010 Colombian presidential elections. It analyzes the influence of several socioeconomic, migratory, mobilizing, and contextual factors on candidate appraisal using a large exit poll conducted at Colombian consulates in five cities in the United States and Europe and five cities with high emigration rates in Colombia. Aside from differences in candidate favorability stemming from socioeconomic variables (education, income, and religious affiliation), Colombians living abroad largely evaluate candidates in ways similar to Colombians living in the country.T he right to vote is a cornerstone of modern liberal democracy. In recent decades, dozens of countries around the world have extended this right to expatriates living abroad-a remarkable change in electoral practices. 1 While much is known about the factors that shape candidate evaluations and voting preferences in conventional electorates-that is, electorates confined within a nation's borders-researchers have only lately begun to systematically investigate transnational political participation. When expatriate voters evaluate candidates, what considerations are salient, and how do these considerations compare to those of voters "back home"? Are participants who live abroad fundamentally different in their political preferences and assessments, given the distance and time away from the country? Answers to such questions bear directly on our understanding of political representation in an era of globalized citizenship. They are relevant as well for policymakers and reformers seeking to expand the participatory environment in the world's migrant-sending democracies.This article focuses on long-distance voting in the Colombian context. In 2010, Colombians elected a new president, and expatriates were able to participate, as they had since 1962. The two main contenders in the runoff election were Juan Manuel

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