Zahra Ahmadipour; Mehdi Heidarian
Abstract
Extended abstract
Introduction
The political organization of space as an organizing process of a part of the Earth limited by boundary for playing political roles has main purposes; one of them is facilitating people polling and citizens’ political turn-out which is realized through locating ...
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Extended abstract
Introduction
The political organization of space as an organizing process of a part of the Earth limited by boundary for playing political roles has main purposes; one of them is facilitating people polling and citizens’ political turn-out which is realized through locating polling stations in city space. Therefore, voting boxes should be located regarding fair scientific principles and methods. It should be in line with improving citizens’ satisfaction and consequently their maximum turn-out. Otherwise, failure in this important affair leads to decrease citizens’ turn-out in elections. Undoubtedly, election executive boards have an important role in the above mentioned process. The main question of this article is what pattern of distribution of polling stations is followed in Eyvan city (one of the cities in the northern constituency of Ilam Province) and if people are satisfied with the location of polling stations in the previous elections.
Review of literature
Political organization of city space as a location of national and local election is done through locating voting branches. Planning for locating these branches is responsibility of election executive boards and optimal dispersion of these branches can affect the citizens’ participation in elections. Population density is the most important factor in this matter. Other considered factors are as follows in order of importance: Eligible places for polling stations, Polling stations distance from main ways, Accessibility of polling stations to security and services centers. Of written articles the followings can be mentioned.
Special place Analysis of voting box in 15th area of Tehran with help of GIS (Nazarian et. al, 2011), Distance traveled to polling locations: Are travel costs imposed equally on party members (Joslyn et al, 2018).
Method
In terms of purpose, this study is functional and in terms of identity and general method it is analytical- descriptive. Data gathering was done through field (questioner) and library method. For data description, descriptive statistics and for data analysis GIS software, hierarchical analysis (AHP), expert Choice software and SPSS (one- way T-test) have been used. Statistical population is people over 18 years old (eligible people for voting). Sample size is 380 people computed by using Cochran formula and multi stage cluster.
In this study researcher- made questioner has been used that its validity is formal and its reliability which is 0.84 has been calculated based on Cranach’s alpha.
Findings and discussion
1. Weighing the criteria: (effective factors on polling stations).
In order to weigh through AHP method, the first criteria (effective factors on polling stations distribution) were compared two by two. Then Expert Choice software was used to compute the weight of each criterion. This software has been designed for analyzing multivariable Problems by using hierarchical analytical process (AHP). The weight of criteria calculated by Expert Choice software has been shown in the following table.
Table 1. Weight of criteria
criterion
weight
Incompatibility coefficient
Population density
0.44
0.12 :incompatibility less than 1% which shows compatibility between binary matrix coefficients
Accessibility of polling stations to security and services centers
0.037
Polling stations distance from main ways
0.107
Infrastructure (eligible places for polling stations)
0.415
2. Preparation and layer integration
In decision making process, the optimal area is a span which has the best condition for studying identification factors and criteria. In this stage, the conditions should be provided so that the summing of all effective indices is possible. Fuzzy logic is elective method in order to value subject layers. In this method, the studied area is valued by zero and one interval in each layer. In order to integrate resulted layers using obtained weights, simple mass weighting method was used. The results of integration are shown in the following features.
Potential area for polling stations: population density area T 0.44+ infrastructure area T 0.415+ stations distance from main ways T 0.107+ station distance area from security- service centers T 0.37.
Map 2. matching the proposed points with potential area
Map 1. Potential area for polling stations
3. Studying eligible places of polling stations and determining suggested stations
In this stage all eligible places for polling stations in the city were studied and eligible places were determined. 22 out of 26 cases have adapted with optimal area (Map3). In GIS software population and the radius of each polling station was determined by using menus of Geoprocessing (Buffer, clip) and Selection (selection by location), such that stations have minimum overlap and citizens had maximum accessibility to polling boxes in the way that it leads to prevent over-crowding. Based on such pattern, the maximum citizens’ satisfaction with polling boxes location have been provided and formation of more voting holes (long distance to polling stations) has been prevented (Map3), while in the previous elections, polling stations location have been determined approximately and polling stations with high overlap and their distribution didn’t follow special pattern (Map 4).
Map 3. Suggested pattern for polling stations’ distribution of parliament election in 2020
Map 4. Map of polling stations’ distribution in president elections in 2018
4. Findings and field analyses
Suggested interval of polling stations for 97% of respondents was less than 250 meters which it has been observed in suggested pattern for20 polling boxes (out of 25 boxes) while in previous elections, the 250 meter distance was observed from 65% people’s point of view. 60% of respondents have preferred establishment of polling stations in educational and official places over masques.
Also, scores of items were combined separately and were test by T-Test statistic for assessing satisfaction from polling stations (table).Using this test, both the significance of the indices and difference from the mean are determined. In this way, comparing average level of variable impact of satisfaction of polling stations stations which is 2.6 with average validated level of impact which is 3 and also regarding computed level of significance which is determiner of a numbers over 5%, shows that there was no satisfaction with polling stations location in the previous elections.
Table 2. The result of T-Test
variable
number
mean
degree of freedom
T-statistics
Standard
deviation
Significance
level
Mean difference
satisfaction
380
2.6
0.79
1.3
379
0.06
-0.40
Conclusion
Findings show that there was no satisfaction with distribution of polling stations in the previous elections and location of boxes hasn’t followed any special pattern, in the way that a few stations have been established in some densely populated areas and vice versa. Accordingly, potential area is determined by using related models for establishing polling stations and suggested pattern has been designed in GIS based on population density parameters (above 18 years) accessibility and infrastructure (existence of eligible places for polling). In this pattern, polling stations had minimum overlap, radius coverage and certain population and prevention of formation of voting holes (citizens’ accessibility to voting stations) is facilitated. Establishing stations for department of natural resources, 17 Sharivar school, Imam Hasan Mosque, Samen Mosque, and Payamenor and deleting Hoseinieh Rashidi, kaosar, Sepideh and Hafez Gaireentefaee and relocation of seven stations (Chamran, Imam Jafare sadeg, Dr Hesabi , valie asar Mosque, Hazrate Masome(Ateferashidi), Jame Mosque, and shahid Mottahari) has been suggested in the new pattern.
Meysam Mirzaei Tabar; Seyed Mohammad Hossein Hosseini; Vahid Sadeghi
Abstract
Extended Abstract
1. Introduction
Citizenship and citizenship rights are important legal and political concepts that can have different functions in traditional and new societies. Mamasani is one of the counties of Fars Province, which still has its traditional structure. Formation of clan and tribal ...
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Extended Abstract
1. Introduction
Citizenship and citizenship rights are important legal and political concepts that can have different functions in traditional and new societies. Mamasani is one of the counties of Fars Province, which still has its traditional structure. Formation of clan and tribal tendencies in this county associated with the ranks of residents suggests that citizenship rights can be influenced by political and tribal considerations especially during elections. In addition, victorious candidates in parliamentary elections may have a tribalism approach to citizens’ issues, and their sense of belonging to their clan and family is a prominent feature of candidates’ personality, rather than being representative of the public. An attempt to divide individuals (outsider and insider) can lead to strengthen and weaken the various regions of the county. Tribal nationalism may be increased among those feeling that their rights have been violated. It affects the components of freedom and justice known as citizenship rights and causes the next election cycle turn into a conflict. Obviously, the emphasis on tribal issues in an election can affect the positive and negative freedom of the people’s independence. The present research has questioned the relationship between tribal culture and civil rights in Mamasani county. It seems that there is a meaningful relationship between the two variables of tribal culture and citizenship rights, and the attitudes of the tribal elite have a key role in ignoring the rights of citizens in the Mamasani County.
2. Theoretical Framework
Citizenship rights
Citizens’ rights or civil freedom are a set of civil, political, economic, and social rights that a person has as a member of community. The set of freedoms that people of a community have, the so-called individual rights, freedoms and the general rights of citizens, are also considered as the human and citizens’ rights.
Positive and Negative Liberties
Positive freedom means individual autonomy to act according to reason and the right of participate. In contrast to the concept of positive liberation, the concept of negative liberty defends the basis of liberalism. As Berlin (2003) states, "If I cannot do what I want because of the interference of others, I will lose my freedom, and if the interference of others expand so that the scope of my freedom is less than minimal, I've been taken as a slave”.
Election
Elections are the most important means of responding to public opinion, demands and preferences. It shows the social bases of political power. It is a good criterion for assessing the distribution of power in the society. Election is a democratic way of selecting the institutions for public representation, and building the foundation of legitimate democratic structures.
Tribe and Tribalism
A cultural unit is composed of an interconnected human community in a geographic space in which people have a common perception of each other's characteristics and interests. Accordingly, tribalism assumes that residents form a coherent whole together and have a collective and local identity based on their characteristics, and social, economic, and cultural identities. This collective identity brings about collective unity, social cohesion and social solidarity.
3. Methodology
The aim of the present research is twofold. In terms of purpose, it is fundamental and also applied. Nevertheless, its fundamental aspect can be considered as its dominant one. In terms of ontology and methodology, the research is a descriptive and analytical study that investigates the relationship of two variables of tribalism as an independent variable, and the rights of citizenship as a dependent variable. Data were collected through the library, field observations and statistical analysis of the questionnaire.
4. Findings and Discussion
Findings of the research show that one of the factors of the formation of clan tendencies and its socio-political culture in Mamasani County has been based on human work in history. This culture has faced with members of various tribes over the time with doubt, and taught them to pursue the goals through overcoming the "other". Accordingly, traditions are preferred more than rational choice, emphasizing the common history and tribal morale. It is the basis of individuals’ performance in Mamasani; thus, it limits the positive freedom. Based on these findings, the mental and objective effects of tribalism culture affect the negative freedom of citizens, their privacy and thoughts. The kinship groups play the most important role in stimulating the traditional pattern in the minds of individuals and they are forced to accept social and political life of the tribesmen. In this regard, the institutionalization of the tribal life and the safeguarding of traditions are also objectively apparent. The election of the Islamic parliament is an area for showing and proving themselves to the other tribes. The deprivation of the positive and negative freedom of citizens in Mamasany County, in addition to influencing the individual's attitude through the tribal and traditions, is influenced by other influential groups elites and social forces. On the election day, they practically take the citizens to the service of the tribal desires. Thus, the rights of citizenship are ignored. The findings also suggest that kinship groups make it possible spontaneously or deliberately to mobilize the masses on the basis of clerical culture and neglect the citizenship rights. Generally, the domination of clan culture in the electoral space leads to neglecting the citizenship rights through depriving the positive and negative liberties of the independence and vote; creating an atmosphere of emotional and irrational political participation; providing a field of ineffective participation in the political destiny of the land management; the lack of respect to the citizens' privacy; creation of conditions for the victorious candidates to regard their tribe and the unequal allocation of funds facilities and management positions in different parts of the city.
