The effect of political advertisements published by political leaders on local election preferences and political participation in March 31, 2024: The Isparta example

The development of democracy has led to increased competition in the political arena, which in turn has necessitated the continuous renewal and development of political parties' strategies due to the rise in the tools and technologies used in political advertising. The rapid increase in the effectiveness of the tools and methods used in political advertising has also led to constant change in this field and the development of new strategies. Political parties focus on implementing advertising strategies that highlight their candidates in local elections. However, in recent years, especially in large cities, the influence of the leader, the party, and the party ideology has begun to be felt heavily alongside the candidate. Political party leaders work very intensively in local election campaigns and implement advertising strategies focused on the leader or party ideology, especially in television advertisements, targeting all regions. This study aims to investigate the impact of leader-focused political advertising campaigns implemented nationwide on voters' preferences in local elections. To this end, the attitudes and behaviors of voters in the Isparta region regarding their voting preferences in local elections were examined through a survey. Voters were also asked about the factors influencing their voting decisions. The data were evaluated using factor analysis, t-test, Anova test, regression, and correlation analyses. The results of the study showed that party ideology and advertisements featuring leaders were as influential as the candidates themselves in voters' voting preferences, that there was no significant difference between genders, that there were differences based on age and marital status, and that there was no significant difference between occupational groups. It was determined that there was no significant difference between voters' opinions and attitudes regarding leader-focused advertising strategies. It is thought that if this study is repeated in different regions, the results obtained could provide guiding data for political parties and candidates in determining local election strategies. Keywords: Local Elections, Political Advertising, Voting Preferences, Levels of Political Participation, Voter Behavior