Election Day!

Voting in elections is mandatory in Peru.  If you don't vote, then you have to pay a fine.  I have been told it's 70 soles (about $25 in today's exchange rates.)  Because voting is mandatory, there are several systems set up.

If one sign is good, three are better.

• Elections are held on a Sunday.  This is because the typical work week here is Monday-Saturday.  Saturday is usually a half day.  
• You might wonder how they know if you didn't vote.  When you vote, you get a special sticker to put on your DNI (national ID card).  If you don't have this sticker the next time you go to get some official government business done, they will make you pay the fine before you can get the business done.  Peru has a lot of government business that is required, so there are plenty of opportunities for them to get their fine.
• If you are a Peruvian citizen out of the country, you can vote by going to the Peruvian Embassy and voting.  For most Peruvians living abroad, it's easier to just pay the fine (which can also be done at the embassy or when you come back to Peru).
• Any large gatherings (including church services) are prohibited on election day.  The church we've been attending held services on Saturday night instead.
• Alcohol sales are prohibited by law from 8am on Saturday through election day.  Theoretically, this helps people make a better choice with a clear mind.
• There are lots of female candidates according to the posters we've seen, but I think most of the election material thrown through our gate has been from male candidates.

Some of the election materials that have been thrown through our gate.  Calendar, phone book, match box and some election materials.  No one seems to care that we can't vote here, I think they are more concerned about distributing the election materials.

Here are some of the interesting voting differences I have observed.

• The freebies handed out by candidates range from the typical-to-me literature, buttons, water bottles, and pens to the unusual (boxes of matches, seed packets, native potato recipe book from the restaurant party candidate) to the completely different than the United States (live baby chicks- mostly given in the poorer sections of town).  
• There is very little information on what the candidates positions or platforms are- we only started getting any of that kind of information in the past couple of weeks (and election materials have been up for a few months).
• The number of candidates in the election is similar to a primary- the field is completely crowded.  We got a sample ballot thrown through our gate with something like 16 candidates for city mayor.
• We were awoken at 6am one morning by a marching band parade for a candidate.  I don't know who it was, nor can I vote here, but I would consider NOT voting for someone based on that tactic!
• There were parties and signs being added up until the very last week- parties I had never seen before would all of a sudden put a sign up.  I get not being the first one to start, but starting your visible campaign in the last two weeks before the election seems a bit different to me.
• You vote by putting an X through the picture that represents the party.  While you are voting for a specific candidate by doing that, the person's name is not on the ballot.
• A few common election campaign tactics:
• Parades using cars.  We have had several drive by our house.  Cars are decked out with campaign posters and signs, the candidate rides in the back of a truck or open vehicle smiling, waving, and throwing things to the masses, and you have other things like a band or speakers on top of a car blaring theme songs.
• Throwing campaign literature through gates (same way that any other mail comes to our house)
• Driving cars around with the election symbol of the preferred party (e.g. a big house or cow for the parties whose election symbols are a house or a car).
• I've been told that there is a lot of corruption in elections here, and that part of the reason it's required for everyone to vote is to more easily throw or buy elections.  
• I am not sure who is going to win, but I will update this post if I can figure it out.  The stuffed pepper party?  The cow party?  The arrows moving forward party?

A parade for Elvis!  Running for mayor of Yanahuara.  It caused a traffic jam and that's a combi decked out in Elvis colors and flags.

Elvis sighting!

A live band playing in the parade.

Just a smattering of the election signs.  The arrow party guy was one of the first to have election signs up.  That stuffed pepper party and Elvis (the tree party) have been around awhile, too.  I just started seeing S party man.