A comprehensive dataset of electoral results from Aruba, Curaçao, and Sint Maarten for research and educational purposes.
This repository contains electoral data from the three Caribbean autonomous states within the Kingdom of the Netherlands: Curaçao, Aruba, and Sint Maarten. The data spans multiple election cycles and provides a foundation for understanding political dynamics, voting patterns, and democratic processes in these Small Island Developing States (SIDS).
Maintained by: University of Aruba Purpose: Educational resource for data science, political science, and Caribbean studies Last updated: November 2025
The dataset includes election results from:
Aruba: 12 elections (1985-2024) Curaçao: 6 elections (2010-2025) Sint Maarten: 6 elections (2010-2024)
year: Election year country: Territory name (Aruba, Curaçao, or Sint Maarten) party: Political party abbreviation votes: Number of votes received
The primary dataset (dutch_caribbean_elections.csv) is structured in tidy format with one row per party per election: csvyear,country,party,votes 1985,Aruba,MEP,13786 1985,Aruba,AVP,11480 1985,Aruba,PPA,4499 This format makes the data easy to work with using common data analysis tools in R, Python, Excel, or any other software that reads CSV files.
Electoral data was compiled from Wikipedia articles:
Elections in Aruba Elections in Curaçao Elections in Sint Maarten
Wikipedia sources this information from official electoral authorities including:
Aruba: Departamento di Asuntonan Electoral (Electoral Affairs Department) Curaçao: Kiesraad Curaçao (Electoral Council of Curaçao) Sint Maarten: Main Voting Bureau of Sint Maarten
Important notes:
This dataset is compiled for educational purposes from publicly available sources Students are encouraged to verify data with official electoral authorities for formal research Understanding data provenance is an important part of data literacy
Load the data elections <- read.csv("dutch_caribbean_elections.csv")
head(elections)
str(elections)
summary(elections)
This repository includes example scripts that demonstrate common analyses:
01_basic_exploration.R - Loading and exploring the data
02_visualization.R - Creating charts and graphs of election results
03_trends_analysis.R - Analyzing voting trends over time
04_comparative_analysis.R - Comparing patterns across territories
These scripts are designed for students learning data science and can be modified for your own research questions.
#Educational use cases
This dataset is particularly useful for:
- Practicing data loading, cleaning, and basic analysis
- Creating meaningful charts about political trends Statistical analysis
- Exploring voting patterns, calculating vote shares, and identifying trends Political science research
- Understanding party systems and electoral behavior in SIDS Caribbean studies
- Analyzing democratic processes in the Dutch Caribbean
- How has voter support for major parties changed over time?
- What is the level of party fragmentation in each territory?
- How do electoral systems affect political representation?
- Are there patterns in coalition formation based on election results?
- How does voter turnout compare across the three territories?
- What role do new parties play in disrupting established political systems?
Users should be aware of the following limitations:
Missing values: Some earlier elections lack registered voter and turnout data Party continuity: Party names and abbreviations may change over time; some parties merge or split Historical accuracy: Very early elections may have limited documentation Scope: This dataset focuses on parliamentary elections only (not referenda or other votes)
This is a living dataset. If you identify errors or have additional verified election data to contribute, please:
Open an issue describing the correction or addition Provide source documentation for verification Submit a pull request with the proposed changes
All contributions will be reviewed for accuracy before incorporation.
If you use this data in your research or educational materials, please cite: University of Aruba (2025). CAS Election Data. Retrieved from [[https://github.com/University-of-Aruba/CAS_election_data]]
This dataset is provided under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0). You are free to:
Share and adapt the data for any purpose Use it for commercial or non-commercial purposes
Under the following terms:
Provide appropriate attribution Indicate if changes were made
For questions about this dataset or to report issues: University of Aruba Email: [email protected] Website: www.ua.aw
This dataset was compiled as part of educational initiatives at the University of Aruba to promote data literacy and support research on Caribbean political systems. Special thanks to the electoral authorities of Aruba, Curaçao, and Sint Maarten for making election results publicly available. Last updated: November 2025