Abstract
Previous research has demonstrated that voting is a significant way for citizens to participate in criminal justice, and candidates’ attitudes have been linked to voting behavior. However, the effect of candidates' campaign promises on voting intention remains unexplored. This study aimed to investigate whether candidates with punitive campaign promises are more likely to attract votes than candidates with rehabilitative promises or no crime-related promises. Respondents, were presented with posters of candidates who made punitive promises, rehabilitative promises, or no promises related to crime, and their voting intentions were measured. Data from 497 participants revealed no significant differences in voting intentions across these conditions. One possible explanation is that citizens may prioritize other policy areas over crime policy when deciding whom to vote for. The implications of these findings are discussed.
