DIVERSE FACES, DIVERSE VOTES: THE EFFECT OF POLITICIAN ETHNICITY AND RACE ON VOTER DECISION-MAKING IN COLOMBIA

Abstract

This dissertation examines the influence of race on voter decisions in Colombia, drawing on Social Identity Theory, SIT (Tajfel & Turner, 1979, 2004), to explore the role of in-group biases in electoral behavior. Previous research has demonstrated that race can affect voters’ choices, particularly when candidates are perceived as representatives of the same racial or ethnic group (Matson & Fine, 2006; Mcdermott, 1998). Additionally, media coverage during elections significantly shapes voters’ perceptions of candidates, especially those from ethnic, racial, sexual, or gender minorities (Caliendo & McIlwain, 2006; McIlwain, 2011; Meeks, 2013; Ward, 2017). Studies have also identified differences in how national and regional media cover such candidates (Clayto et al., 2023) and the type of frames they use to identify them by using Framing as a theoretical lens (Entman, 1993). This dissertation employed two analyses to explore these two elements: (1) a content analysis of media coverage during the 2022 Colombian congressional election, focusing on whether regional media provided more and distinct coverage of Afro-Colombian candidates as compared to national media, and (2) an experiment examining whether the race or ethnicity of candidates influenced voters’ decisions and attitudes, reflecting in-group biases (Stets & Burk, 2000; Tajfel & Turner, 1979, 2004). The content analysis included six media outlets (three regional and three national; N = 412 articles), and the experiment involved 569 participants. While the methods were independent, together they provided a broader understanding of how race is reflected in the news media and influences political decisions. The results indicated that regional media provided significantly more coverage of Afro-Colombian candidates than their national counterparts during the 2022 congressional elections. This coverage often included racial descriptors and references to the candidate’s ethnic/racial background, as well as associations with social activism and gendered language. This disparity in media coverage points to the possibility that regional outlets may prioritize issues relevant to marginalized communities while national outlets may be more focused on mainstream political narratives in the Colombian context. The experiment, which sought to explore the impact of candidate race and ethnicity on voters’ decisions, found little to no influence of these factors on participants’ choices. These findings suggest that race and ethnicity alone have a limited impact on voter behavior in Colombia. Other factors, such as political ideology, candidate qualifications, or campaign strategies, may play a significant role in conjunction with race/ethnicity. This study offers an initial exploration of the impact of race on political decisions in Colombia, but it also highlights the complexity of this issue. Although media coverage can influence how candidates are perceived, it does not necessarily translate into voter behavior. Further research is needed to investigate how race, in combination with other demographic factors, such as socioeconomic status, gender, or political affiliation, may influence voters’ decisions.