Replication Data for: The Opposite of Containment: Electoral System Change in Argentina's 1912 Democratic Transition

The traditional narrative of Europe's first wave of democratization is that elites extended the franchise in response to revolutionary threats and reformed majoritarian electoral systems to limit rising working-class parties. This stylized account does not fit early twentieth-century South America, where democratization was driven by internal competition within traditional parties, without strong working-class parties to contain. I study the 1912 Argentine electoral reform that introduced elements of democracy (secret and compulsory voting) and simultaneously changed the electoral system from multi-member plurality to the limited vote. To study the motivations behind the electoral system change that was part of the reform package, I analyze expert surveys, legislative debates, and a public opinion poll from 1911. Granting representation to political minorities was not regarded as an electoral containment strategy that would favor conservatives, but as a progressive measure to make opposition parties more competitive. An analysis of roll-call votes shows that legislators who supported the reform were those who expected to not be adversely affected.