Chapter 2

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

Views on Vote Buying

According to Thierry Uwamahoro, a former senior program officer of the National

Democratic Institute for International Affairs, a candidate in the video offers to bribe a mayor for

support in a local election and pledges that once in power, he will "do everything by the book"

(NDI). "Vote buying is rarely an isolated act, and it contributes to the perpetuation of corruption

across the political system." When a politician decides to pay for support rather than fight

honestly for votes, Uwamahoro added, "they demonstrate a disrespect for democratic norms and

a propensity to employ illicit means." "What's to stop them from utilizing the same technique in

other areas of administration if paying off supporters works during the election?"

Furthermore, vote buying, in general, obstructs the democratic process by interfering with

citizens' rights to choose who will represent them and their interests. "This might lead to the

election being won by the candidate with the deepest finances rather than the candidate who

would best serve their constituency," Uwamahoro added. Elections, in theory, generate a "social

contract" between candidates and voters, with the expectation that the candidates would rule in

accordance with their stated policy agendas. (U.S. Department of State 2021)

To Nickerson et. al., (2014) they hypothesize that people's perceptions of vote buying are

influenced by their comprehension of the transaction and the abstract social costs associated with

it. We test this theory using survey experiments conducted in numerous Latin American nations,

in which respondents are presented with hypothetical vote-buying scenarios, with the
socioeconomic condition of the hypothetical customer and the client's political preferences

varied. We discover that criticism of vote buying is strongly dependent on the characteristics of

the hypothetical customer, and that assessments of vote buying are based on perceptions of the

actual advantages and abstract costs of vote buying in electoral politics.

According to Yam (2014) buying votes appears to be anti-democratic. Lobby-groups

hijacking the political process seems suspect enough, but elections should not be decided by

whomever gives out the most money. Putting moral reasons aside, vote-buying should not occur

when there is no means to enforce the transaction, at least according to economists. Nonetheless,

vote-buying occurs routinely in many regions of the world. We need to learn more about this

confounding aspect of many elections, especially how it influences voting behavior.

Motive for Selling Votes

To Ilas (2019), politicians have been hiring Juan, not his real name, as a pook (local)

leader entrusted with buying votes during elections for the past two decades. He added there are

a variety of ways to buy votes, including "gapangan." CNN Philippines spoke with numerous

individuals who confessed selling their votes or claimed to know "someone" who did. Some

voters, who requested anonymity, acknowledged to buying and selling ballots. They claimed to

having difficulties saying "no" when presented with an offer. Worse, some people believe it is

appropriate to receive money in return for votes. The transaction, according to Antonio* (not his

real name), was quick and painless. He also stated that he did not request it.

Moreover, Political rights (such as the right to vote, freedom of expression, and freedom

of assembly), according to the late human rights lawyer Eugene A. Tan, are readily lost when
people's economic rights are violated. Ordinary people are compelled to sell their votes to the

highest bidder since they do not have access to basic economic rights such as food, clean water,

housing, and fair salaries. As a result, it's reasonable to assume that their voting habits are more a

function of their economic circumstances than of their moral character or temperament. Their

financial status leaves them vulnerable to politicians who claim to care about the poor and offer

them the moon and stars during election season (Inquirer 2021).