Outside the big schemes: Political-electoral associations of workers in the First Republic, the cases of Pernambuco and Bahia

Abstract

During the First Republic, electoral participation rates were low. However, this did not imply the absence of a dispute for votes. This article seeks to show that organized workers played a fundamental role in structuring electoral competition in urban centers. The analysis of the cases of Pernambuco and Bahia shows that: workers formed the majority of the electorate in the capitals; class associations organized different stages of the voting process; the labor movement created original forms of political participation and representation through collectivized mandates.