Leonardo Gil presents his work on the psychology of voting on Alofoke Deportes
Renowned political analyst, writer, and lecturer Leonardo Gil released his latest work titled “The Engineering of Voter Identity.” The event, held at the Juan Bosch Auditorium of the Pedro Henríquez Ureña National Library, served as a stage to break down how the minds of the electorate are won over in today’s complex political landscape.
One of the fundamental pillars that Gil proposes in his research is the psychological nature of suffrage. According to the author, the election process goes far beyond the candidates’ proposals, focusing on a deep connection with the individual.
The first thing is to understand that the voter does not vote for the candidate, the voter votes for themselves. When they see themselves reflected in some action of the aspirant, a connection is generated and an emotionality arises, because in the end, the vote is an emotional act.
Leonardo Gil, author of The Engineering of Voter Identity.
The voter does not arrive at the polls empty-handed
The work delves into the question of what happens in the citizen’s mind before casting their vote. The author argues that the voter is not a blank slate when a political campaign begins; on the contrary, they arrive with prior baggage that conditions their interpretation of the message.
- Deep-rooted values and beliefs.
- Life experiences and personal memories.
- Expectations and sense of belonging.
- Emotions that intervene in the perception of leadership.
A focus on identity engineering
The central axis of the book is the conceptual proposal called “Voter Identity Engineering.” Gil explains that he uses the term “engineering” as an analytical architecture to study the relationships between context, experience, and the final decision. Within this framework, he introduces the Voter Identity Reaffirmation Model (VIRM), which follows the flow: Context, Experiences, Identity, Interpretation, Evaluation, Decision, and Reaffirmation.
Regarding the idea that “the voter does not change, they reaffirm themselves,” the author clarifies that this working hypothesis seeks to investigate how the voter uses their vote to protect, confirm, or reorganize their own identity in the face of political offerings. The ultimate goal of the work is to invite the reader to professionalize political marketing, positioning identity as the indispensable starting point for any successful electoral campaign.
