Electoral Participation During an Early Period of Democratization: Chile 1932–1950

Abstract We study electoral participation in the provinces of Chile from 1932 to 1950, a time when electoral democracy and a competitive party system coincided with the adoption of import-substitution industrialization and growing migration into urban areas. Drawing on provincial-level data, we assess the effect of institutional, economic, and sociodemographic factors on voter turnout. The enfranchisement of women for municipal elections in 1935 unexpectedly reduced participation, as few women initially joined the electoral rolls. Higher literacy levels were associated with lower turnout, challenging modernization theory expectations. Urbanization, in contrast, was positively linked to participation. Surprisingly, provinces with strong mining and manufacturing sectors did not exhibit higher turnout, suggesting limited mobilization by leftist parties and barriers faced by informal workers and recent migrants. The findings underscore that suffrage expansion alone is insufficient to increase participation without targeted mobilization efforts. The study contributes to understanding the complexities of democratization and highlights the importance of bottom-up political engagement to complement institutional reforms in expanding political inclusion.