2.2.4.1.3 Electoral systems and traditions

Many countries from Latin America have experienced totalitarian governments during their history, but democracy has consolidated in the region. Still, there are important differences among the region's electoral systems. Some are based on geographical models of representation, while others have direct nationwide elections to elect the President. In the last few years some countries have experimented with the inclusion of a second, "runoff" round in Presidential elections.

In many countries voting is compulsory, and as a result the percentage of citizens who vote is very high. The Preferential Voting System used by ICANN in the 2000 election is absolutely unknown in Latin America, and is not used in any public election, most of which are carried out through direct votes. In some cases, as mentioned above, there is a second round between the two candidates with the highest number of votes. This occurs only if no one obtains more than 50% of the votes in the first round.

2.2.4.1.2 Awareness of Internet-related issues

2.2.4.2.1 Pre-election phase