Internet Access and Electoral Participation in Colombia: Voter Apathy at the Polls.

Abstract

This paper studies the effect of expanding internet access on electoral outcomes at the municipality level in Colombia. I use a difference-in-differences strategy that compares electoral outcomes in municipalities that received the internet right before the presidential election, with those that received it afterwards. I find that internet access reduced political participation at the polls. This behavior is reflected in a decrease in voter turnout, a decrease in the number of votes for candidates and an increase in blank votes. This apathetic behavior was motivated by the lack of trust in the government institutions, and the low enforcement in policies against corruption from the politicians.

Keywords: internet-access, turnout, elections

JEL Classification: D72, L82, L86, N46, N76