The Impact of Literacy and Urban Population Rate on Invalid Ballots and Elections Participation Rate: A Review on Van Province for the Last Ten Elections

Political participation and the rate of invalid ballots are effective on election results. Factors such as age, gender, education level, political ideology, income level, family, and place of residence affect voters’ political preferences. However, the level of elections participation and the rate of invalid ballots are not related to political preferences, but rather political behaviour and political consciousness. Voters cast invalid votes, sometimes unconsciously and sometimes knowingly and willingly. This study aims to determine whether the literacy and urban population rates have an impact on elections participation and the rate of invalid ballots. To explore the relationship, a study was conducted in Van, Turkey. In this study, the data obtained from the official website of the Turkish Statistical Institute was utilized and the results of the elections and referendums that were held in Turkey between 2010 and 2020 were examined. In this study, literacy, elections participation and invalid ballot rates both across Turkey and in Van province were calculated and the voter base in Van province was categorized as rural and urban. The rates of literacy, political participation, and invalid ballots in Van province by years when elections were held were compared to the general average in Turkey to determine whether the literacy rate and the rate of urban population growth affect the rates of political participation and invalid voting.