Preferences without Platforms: How Voters Make Choices in Zambia's Elections

How do Zambian voters make decisions when parties have indistinguishable platforms and do not represent all of Zambia’s ethnic groups? Drawing on an original survey and interview data, this chapter argues that basic service delivery is the most important issue for most Zambians. In an information-poor environment, citizens use past experiences with service delivery both to evaluate the incumbent’s performance and to determine whether there is any utility in voting at all. Voters balance their experiences with service delivery alongside considerations of ethnoregional identity in order to determine which party is most likely to benefit their community. Ultimately, experiences with service delivery allow Zambian voters to evaluate parties and develop preferences in the absence of programmatic platforms.