Dominican voters can separately vote for candidates for mayor and city councilors, regardless of their political parties in the 18 February 2024 municipal election. A report in El Caribe points out that the 2024 municipal election marks the end to the so-called drag effect when the election of a mayor would determine the councilor.
The drag effect has also been eliminated in the vote for senators. In the past, the election of the deputy of one party determined the senator.
As reported in El Caribe, there will be separate ballots for the election of mayors, councilors and director of municipalities and members of municipal districts in the 18 February 2024 municipal election.
El Caribe’s report explains that the separation of the election of the mayors, councilors, and other municipal elected officials is the last link for eliminating the “drag” vote in the country. This separation process began in the 1990 election.
The separation was consolidated after the Constitutional Court ruled on the issue in 2019.
Read more in Spanish:
El Caribe
4 January 2024