Why do Voters Accept Bribes? Evidence from Edo State in Nigeria

Vote buying remains one of the main flaws of elections in many parts of the world. As most other forms of corruption, it is sticky and unlikely to vanish in the short and medium run. In this article, we look at the demand side of vote buying using the case of the Edo State governorship elections in Nigeria. Through original survey research using the in-person interview format, we try to detect how widespread this practice is, as well as establish the profile of the voter, who morally condones vote buying, and accepts such bribes on Election Day. Generally, we find that vote buying has high acceptance and most voters who receive an offer accept it. We further detect that party members, politically interested people, as well as young citizens are more likely to condone the practice; these groups are also more likely to accept such a bribe. The two main motifs for accepting bribes are (1) citizens feel a sense of reciprocity, or the need to reciprocate the favor that parties bestow upon them through the payment of the election money, (2) our respondents also feel entitled to receive some money on Election Day.