Votes for sale: a qualitative study on the implications of vote-buying as a campaign strategy on the voting behavior of individuals

Abstract

Vote-buying, as a campaign strategy, is very rampant across the entire political borders of the Philippine archipelago, a fatal cancer that slowly exterminates what little remains of the country’s sense of democracy. It is an inevitable truth that voters themselves are now openly and willingly subscribing to this [corrupt] campaign strategy and the candidates who invested in them enjoy an increase in their winnability, jeopardizing the very purpose of election. Santa Maria, Ilocos Sur demonstrates a representation of a community wherein vote-buying is no longer hidden in the shades of secrecy. In this light, this paper aims to determine the relationship of vote-buying and the voting behavior of individuals as well as to reassess whether or not vote-buying in fact increases winnability based on the life-experiences of the voters. Several interviews were conducted with selected voters, a candidate and his campaign manager, and representatives from the local Commission on Elections and Commission on Audit. Results show that vote-buying is not usually perceived as a campaign strategy, rather a problem yet an accepted norm practiced in the area when the government officials themselves are the chief perpetrator. Furthermore, it shows that poverty, though could be a driving factor, is not the primary cause, and vote-buying does not really assure winnability and does not necessarily affect the voting behavior of individuals. Thus, it constitutes that vote-buying is a manifestation of a bigger problem, a vicious cycle, that needs to be addressed with urgency.