Electoral manipulation and postelectoral protests in Latin America

Abstract What is the relationship between electoral manipulation and postelection protests in Latin America? The political science literature has traditionally expected that election manipulation can lead to postelection demonstrations, but the research has not dealt much with how the elections were manipulated. This study aims to fill this gap. An analysis of 221 elections in Latin America between 1980 and 2020 shows that the relationship between electoral manipulation and postelection protests is far more complex than conventional explanations suggest. The results show that pre‐election manipulation does not increase the likelihood of postelection protests. Regarding manipulation during elections, it appears that citizens of Latin American countries are susceptible to administrative fraud. Contrary to previous studies, intimidation and vote buying also have no effect.