Programme: VEGA 2/0132/26
Duration: 1. 1. 2026 – 31. 12. 2028
Principal Investigator: Jozef Zagrapan
Researchers: Katarína Moravanská, Silvia Miháliková, Ondrej Buchel, Radka Vicenová

The project focuses on the analysis of voter behavior and electoral competition in the context of regional and local elections in Slovakia, which were held simultaneously for the first time in 2022. The merging of elections increased turnout in the less salient regional elections, but it also brought unexpected and under-researched effects on decision-making and election organization. The project aims to identify selected patterns of voting behavior and candidacy and to explore barriers to election organization. The project will also develop an up-to-date social typology of municipalities, providing a contextual framework and offering an overview of the socio-spatial and demographic situation of Slovakia at the municipal level. The project outputs will contribute to a better understanding of differences in voting behavior at both the individual and local levels and may serve as a foundation for further research and reflection on public policies in the fields of regional development and citizen participation.