Getting to know her: Information and gender bias in preferential voting systems

Low voter information can disadvantage female candidates, especially in commonly used preferential voting systems where intraparty choice reduces the heuristic value of party labels. We argue that such disadvantages can be overcome by (1) providing voters with candidates’ biographical information, and (2) making preference voting compulsory. The former can reduce bias or gender-based informational asymmetries, while the latter can counteract inequalities in the use of preference voting by men and women. We test our expectations with two survey experiments conducted during open-list proportional representation elections in Japan, where women’s representation has notoriously lagged. The results confirm that each experimental treatment (information and compulsory preference voting) increases support for female candidates, both among the actual candidates running and in a post-treatment conjoint experiment featuring hypothetical candidates. These findings underscore how simple rule changes can potentially reduce barriers to women’s electoral success in preferential voting systems.