Broken promises? Voters prefer intraparty democracy, not window dressing

Abstract

Leadership selection is one of a political parties’ key functions, and inclusive leadership selection processes are increasingly common in West European democracies. Yet, inclusive leadership selections often fail to meet democratic standards. Do voters care about the quality of these contests beyond their presence, and under which circumstances do voters think they are democratic? Drawing on theories of democracy and satisfaction with democracy, it is argued that voters prefer selections that uphold principles of competitiveness and participation. Voters should also consider such selections to be more democratic. This study highlights the number of candidates, ease of participation, turnout rate, and the presence of female candidates as visible indicators of democratic norm conformity. The argument is tested using a pre-registered conjoint experiment in Spain. It is found that voters care about the quality of these processes and clearly prefer democratic primaries. Voters prefer processes that adhere to basic principles of democracy, and broken promises are unlikely to suffice.