The Factors affecting the voter behaviour in local elections: The Tokat example

The examination of the factors affecting voter behaviour is an important subject of study for political scientists. This study aims to reveal the characteristics that voters expect the ideal president to have and the factors affecting voting behaviour of voters. The study consists of four main chapters. In the first section, the basic concepts related to voter behaviour and the factors affecting voter behaviour are discussed. In the second section, a literature review is carried out by giving place to the studies conducted in our country on the subject. In the third part, the sample characteristics, research purpose, limitations, method, data analysis and statistical findings of the factors affecting voter behaviour in local elections in Tokat province are explained and the statistics related to the sociodemographic characteristics of the respondents are explained. In the last section, the findings of the research are given. In this context, in the province of Tokat, voters attach the most importance to the projects and promises of the candidate, while the other elements they attach importance to are the party and party leader of the candidate. In addition to these, for the voters, the characteristics of the candidate such as being religious and being a fellow countryman have remained in the background. In this case, it is concluded that voters attach importance to the promises and projects of the candidate rather than his/her personal characteristics.