ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Polit. Sci.
Sec. Elections and Representation
Volume 7 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fpos.2025.1647672
This article is part of the Research TopicThe Role of Political Influencers in Electoral CampaignsView all articles
Decision-Making Process in Voting During the 2024 Election in Indonesia (A Study in Bandung Regency)
Provisionally accepted
- 1Universitas Padjadjaran, Bandung, Indonesia
- 2The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
- 3Universitas Pancasakti Tegal, Tegal, Indonesia
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This study examines voter decision-making in Indonesia's 2024 general election, with a particular focus on Bandung Regency. Using a qualitative approach informed by Behavioral Decision Theory (BDT), it investigates how voters process political information, evaluate alternatives, and ultimately select candidates across different electoral levels. The analysis identifies five distinct decision-making models: closed, semi-open, open, mixed, and coattail-driven, each reflecting varying degrees of cognitive engagement and information use. Closed decision-making is characterized by conformity to prevailing social norms, whereas open decision-making entails systematic consideration of candidate platforms, leadership qualities, and programmatic evidence. Semi-open voters apply selective filters shaped by religious, political, or organizational affiliations. The mixed model emerges as a hybrid, with voters employing different strategies for presidential and legislative elections depending on perceived significance and familiarity. Findings from verbal protocol interviews and thematic analysis suggest that digital media, political heuristics, emotional trust, and sociocultural boundaries exert substantial influence on voter rationality. Overall, the study contributes to theories of electoral behavior in emerging democracies by illustrating how technological change, media dynamics, and identity politics intersect in shaping voter choices. The results underscore the importance of political education and institutional reforms that encourage informed, independent, and deliberative participation.
Keywords: Voting behavior, decision-making process, Indonesian election, politicalheuristics, behavioral decision theory, Electoral participation
Received: 16 Jun 2025; Accepted: 09 Sep 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Kartini, Adinadya Putra and Zainudin. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Dede Sri Kartini, Universitas Padjadjaran, Bandung, Indonesia
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