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Villagers’ Committee elections in Chinese rural areas highlight the promise as well as the challenge of democratization in a one-party state. Why are there huge regional variations in terms of voter turnout rate? Drawing on the vast literature of voter turnout, we develop a number of hypotheses in this paper. Data from a large survey conducted in 2005 have confirmed some (but not all) of them. Like voters in other countries, Chinese villagers are rational players and motivated by individual interests. More importantly, social organizations and electoral institutions have exhibited positive influence in voter mobilization. These empirical findings reveal important dynamics in China’s village democracy. They also imply some major challenges facing China’s rural democracy. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Villagers’ Committee elections represent a major progress in China’s development toward democracy. We develop a rational model to explain villagers’ participation. Utilizing a national survey of rural residents in 2005, this paper tests and confirms the insights of the model. Two findings are of interest to the studies of voting and elections. First, there is disagreement over the causal relationship between political trust and voting. This paper offers a rational interpretation of political trust by emphasizing the informational aspect of the concept. Second, voting is generally theorized as a process of overcoming various costs. The prospect of benefits figures more prominently in Chinese village elections. On a practical level, our findings highlight the pivotal role township governments have played in China’s rural politics and reveal the inner dilemma of democratization in China. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]