Abstract
Multiple-mandate holding (MMH), i.e. the simultaneous exercise of
at least two directly elected political functions, is a widespread but
controversial political practice. Theoretically it can be argued to
constitute a valuable personal vote earning attribute (PVEA)
among candidates due to its’ combination of the incumbency
and local background traits, but previous scholarship has also
shown that citizens tend to be quite critical towards it. However,
whether and how the practice of MMH affects voter preferences
has not been previously empirically explored. The purpose of this
study is thus to contribute to this line of research by exploring
the potential causal impact of the practice of MMH, making a
valuable empirical contribution to scholarships of voter
preferences and candidate traits. We examine this question by
utilising a conjoint survey experiment carried out in 2023 in
Finland, a country that recently (in 2022) established a new
regional government tier, thereby enabling the possibility for
politicians of being simultaneously elected at three different
institutional levels. The results of the study confirm that MMH as
a candidate trait has the potential to be disadvantageous for
individual candidates during elections
at least two directly elected political functions, is a widespread but
controversial political practice. Theoretically it can be argued to
constitute a valuable personal vote earning attribute (PVEA)
among candidates due to its’ combination of the incumbency
and local background traits, but previous scholarship has also
shown that citizens tend to be quite critical towards it. However,
whether and how the practice of MMH affects voter preferences
has not been previously empirically explored. The purpose of this
study is thus to contribute to this line of research by exploring
the potential causal impact of the practice of MMH, making a
valuable empirical contribution to scholarships of voter
preferences and candidate traits. We examine this question by
utilising a conjoint survey experiment carried out in 2023 in
Finland, a country that recently (in 2022) established a new
regional government tier, thereby enabling the possibility for
politicians of being simultaneously elected at three different
institutional levels. The results of the study confirm that MMH as
a candidate trait has the potential to be disadvantageous for
individual candidates during elections
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 1-20 |
| Number of pages | 20 |
| Journal | Representation |
| Publication status | Published - 15 Oct 2025 |
| MoE publication type | A1 Journal article-refereed |
Funding
This research was made possible by funding from The Ella and Georg Ehrnrooth Foundation (Fredrik Malmberg) and the Research Council of Finland (grant number 316897)
Keywords
- Multiple-mandate holding
- Conjoint experiment
- Voting
- Elections
- Parliament