1 Elite Polarization and the Electoral Impact of Left-Right Placements: Evidence from Latin America, 1995-20091

Abstract. While political polarization may lead to gridlock and other negative policy outcomes, representation is likely to be enhanced when parties differentiate themselves from each other and make it easier for voters to see the connection between their personal ideologies and the electoral offerings. These differences between parties may be especially important in developing democracies where voters are still learning parties ’ priorities and where parties do not always emphasize issues when campaigning. To test this proposition, I develop a measure of elite polarization in Latin America since the early 1990s based on legislative surveys. Individual-level voting patterns from mass survey data confirm that the connection between voters ’ self-placement on the left-right scale and their electoral choice is stronger in polarized party systems, even when controlling for other party-system factors like the age of the party system or electoral fragmentation. This effect on voting behavior is not immediate, however, as voters take time to recognize the new cues being provided by the changing party system