Migration experience, hukou status, and political alienation in Chinese grassroots elections

This study investigates internal migrants’ political participation in China’s grassroots elections. Using nationally representative data from the 2012 China Labor-Force Dynamics Survey, it examines the potential alienation of returned migrants in Villagers’ Committee (VC) elections and rural migrants without urban hukou in urban Residents’ Committee (RC) elections. The findings show that both returned migrants (compared with rural non-migrants) and rural migrants without urban hukou (compared with urban locals) are less active in grassroots elections, yet the nature of this alienation diverges significantly. In the rural context, returned migrants’ disengagement supports clientelist perspectives. Due to their reduced reliance on the agricultural economy, they attach less importance to VCs, leading to deliberate abstention. In the urban context, conversely, the participation of rural migrants without local hukou aligns with mobilized voting perspectives. Constrained by structural exclusion and weaker community identity, these migrants often lack awareness of their voting eligibility. This study adds to the literature by providing a comprehensive analysis of political participation in China’s grassroots elections, shedding light on the complex interactions of migration, hukou status, and political participation in both rural and urban settings.