Comparative Analysis of Electoral Behavior Patterns and Preferences in the Kalevalskiy District of the Karelian Arctic (2015–2024)

The article examines the specifics of electoral behavior and preferences of voters in the Kalevalskiy District of the Republic of Karelia from the moment it was included in the Arctic zone of the Russian Federation in 2015 until the 2024 presidential elections. The author points out that, despite increased research interest in the Arctic national territory, electoral practices and the will of voters are not given due attention, while they allow to identify not only the value preferences of the electorate, but also to localize existing problems in the area that require measures to be taken to resolve them. The paper studies the election participation behavior of the residents of the Kalevalskiy District at the federal, regional and local levels in comparison with the population of the Republic of Karelia and its Arctic territories. The paper establishes the values of voter turnout, the indicator of protest potential in relation to the degree of elections’ alternativeness. The author also analyzes the role of political powers that traditionally participate in the elections and their influence on the voting preferences of residents of the Arctic Karelian border region. As a result of the study, a model of the typical voter in the Kalevalskiy District is created (in terms of demographic structure, it is predominantly a person older than working age, not inclined to protest, with an established system of values, and diligent civic participation in elections at various levels) that determines voting behavior and preferences. Using a neo-endogenous approach and identifying the cleavages structures based on multifactor analysis, a pattern of the Arctic national region of the Russian Arctic was constructed as a possible case for future comparative researching of national territories of the Arctic zone.