Guide: 2014 Elections in the Americas

Which countries in the Americas have mandatory voting, and which have penalties for those who fail to show up to cast a ballot? Using data from the most recent head of state elections in 21 countries in the Western Hemisphere, AS/COA Online takes a look at mandatory voting rules, as well as voter turnout.

Explore the interactive map, as well as graphics comparing voting laws and voter turnout.

On March 9, Salvadorans headed to the polls for the country’s second-round presidential election, but because the results were so close, the country’s electoral authorities said they could not call a winner. The Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE) said it would complete a recount by March 12 or 13.

According to the preliminary count on March 9, the governing Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front (FMLN)’s Salvador Sánchez Cerén won 50.11 percent, while Norman Quijano of the Nationalist Republican Alliance (ARENA) won 49.89 percent. During the second round, initial numbers indicated that voter turnout—at around 60 percent— was higher than during the first round.

As this TSE graphic shows, the two candidates were separated by less than 7,000 votes.

Each candidate won exactly half of the country’s 14 departments, as this map from La Prensa Gráfica depicts.

Both candidates claimed victory. Sánchez Céren vowed to continue the work of the ruling FMLN and to abide by the Constitution.

Vamos a continuar la obra que iniciamos en el 2009. Seremos fieles a La Constitución, todas las libertades están garantizadas. #Adelante

— Salvador Sánchez C. (@sanchezceren) March 10, 2014

He also promised unity. “We are going to govern for everyone, for those who voted for us, and those who did not,” he said.

On March 5, the ruling National Liberation Party’s presidential candidate Johnny Araya announced he would discontinue his campaign ahead of the April 6 runoff election. Araya, the former mayor of San José, came in second during the first round of Costa Rica’s presidential race on February 2, winning 29.71 percent. The first place finisher, Luis Solís of the Citizens’ Action Party, earned 30.64 percent—shy of the 40 percent minimum to avoid a runoff. It is the first time in Costa Rican history that a candidate has dropped out of a presidential runoff.

El Salvador’s presidential runoff vote takes place March 9, and polls give the governing-party candidate a comfortable lead. February 21 marked the last day to release poll findings, and several surveys published ahead of that date show Salvador Sánchez Cerén of the Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front (FMLN) with a lead in the realm of 10 points or more above Norman Quijano of the Nationalist Republican Alliance (ARENA). On February 2, Sánchez Cerén garnered 48.92 percent of the vote to narrowly miss getting the absolute majority needed to avoid a second round. Quijano, the former mayor of San Salvador, took in 38.95 percent of ballots.

One major question after the first round was which candidate would snatch up the votes of third-place candidate, former President Tony Saca. A February 18 University of Technology survey found a split down the middle, with half of Saca’s votes going to the FMLN and half to ARENA. The same poll gives the governing party 54.9 percent of votes compared to 45.1 percent for ARENA. A CID-Gallup poll showed Sánchez Cerén with an even larger advantage, with 58 percent against 42 percent for his rival. A survey from the University of Francisco Gavidia published February 21 puts the leading candidate at an even greater advantage, with 53.9 percent for the FMLN and 35.5 percent for ARENA.

An EDH/Newlink poll, which also gave a 10-point poll lead to the first-round winner, found that 12.9 percent of voters remain undecided and 8.8 percent of voters say they don’t intend to participate.