Voter Behavior

Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman



Elections and Voting Behavior

• Is an election an expression of popular will?

• When we vote have we truly expressed our beliefs on public policy?

• This chapter discusses why it is difficult for elections to be a mechanism for expressing the public’s desires.


Elections and Voting Behavior

• Are the people represented by elections in America?


Chapter 10: Elections and Voting Behavior• How American Elections Work• A Tale of Three Elections• Whether to Vote: A Citizen’s First Choice• How Americans Vote: Explaining Citizens’

Decisions• The Last Battle: The Electoral College• Understanding Elections and Voting

Behavior• Summary


Chapter Outline and Learning Objectives

• How American Elections Work• LO 10.1: Distinguish the types of elections

in the United States. • A Tale of Three Elections• LO 10.2: Trace the evolution of the

American electoral process from 1800 to the present.



• Whether to Vote: A Citizen’s First Choice• LO 10.3: Identify the factors that influence

whether people vote or not.• How Americans Vote: Explaining Citizens’

Decisions• LO 10.4: Assess the impact of party

identification, candidate evaluations, and policy opinions on voting behavior.



• The Last Battle: The Electoral College• LO 10.5: Evaluate the fairness of the

Electoral College system for choosing the president.

• Understanding Elections and Voting Behavior• LO 10.6: Assess the extent to which

elections make government officials pay attention to what voters want.

How American Elections WorkLO 10.1: Distinguish the types of elections in the United States.

• Functions of Elections• Institutionalize political activity – Make it

possible for most political participation to be channeled through the electoral process.

• Regular access to political power – Leaders can be replaced.

• Legitimacy – Fair and free way of selecting political leaders.

To Learning ObjectivesCopyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman


How American Elections Work

• Three Kinds of Elections• Primary elections – Voters select party

nominees.• General elections – Between the

nominees of the parties.• Elections on specific policy questions –

Voters make (initiative petition) or ratify (referendum) legislation.

LO 10.1

To Learning Objectives


LO 10.1


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Whether to Vote: A Citizen’s First ChoiceLO 10.3: Identify the factors that influence whether people vote or not.• Deciding Whether to Vote• Registering to Vote• Who Votes?



Whether to Vote: A Citizen’s First Choice

• Suffrage• The legal right to vote, in the United States

gradually extended to virtually all citizens over the age of 18.

LO 10.3




LO 10.3



• Deciding Whether to Vote• Anthony Downs – People who see policy

differences between the parties are more likely to vote.

• Political Efficacy – Belief that one’s vote does matter and can actually make a difference.

• Civic Duty – Belief that a citizen should vote to support democratic government.


LO 10.3



• Registering to Vote• Voter Registration – A system adopted by

the states that requires voters to register prior to voting.

• Motor Voter Act – A 1993 act that requires states to permit people to register to vote when they apply for their driver’s license.


LO 10.3


Voter Registration

• Montco Election Board



• Who Votes?• Education – People with a higher than

average education vote more than people with less education.

• Age – Older people vote more than younger people.

• Race – Racial minorities are usually underrepresented among voters relative to their share of the citizenry.


LO 10.3



• Who Votes?• Gender – Women participate in elections

slightly more than men do.• Marital status – Married people vote more

than unmarried people.• Government employment – Workers for

the government vote more than people who have jobs in the in private sector.


LO 10.3


LO 10.3



• Who Votes?• Possessing several of these traits (being

elderly, well educated, and married) adds significantly to one’s likelihood of voting.

• Conversely, being young, poorly educated, and single is likely to add up to a very low probability of voting.


LO 10.3

How Americans Vote: Explaining Citizens’ DecisionsLO 10.4: Assess the impact of party identification, candidate evaluations, and policy opinions on voting behavior.• Party Identification• Candidate Evaluations: How

Americans See the Candidates• Policy Voting



How Americans Vote: Explaining Citizens’ Decisions

• Mandate Theory of Elections• The idea that the winning candidate has a

mandate from the people to carry out his or her platforms and politics.

• Politicians like the theory better than political scientists do.

LO 10.4




• Party Identification• People still generally vote for a party that they

agree with.• Parties’ hold on voters declined in the 1960s and

1970s with rise of candidate-centered politics.• Many floating voters make an individual voting

decision and are up for grabs each election.


LO 10.4



• Candidate Evaluations: How Americans See the Candidates• 3 most important dimensions of candidate image

are integrity, reliability, and competence.• Image plays a role in voting when a candidate is

perceived to be incompetent or dishonest.


LO 10.4



• Policy Voting• Electoral choices that are made on the

basis of the voters’ policy preferences and where the candidates stand on policy issues.


LO 10.4

The Last Battle: The Electoral CollegeLO 10.5: Evaluate the fairness of the Electoral College system for choosing the president.• Electoral College• A unique American institution, created by

the Constitution, providing for the selection of the president by electors.

• Less populated states are overrepresented.

• Winner-take-all concentrates campaigns on close states.



The Last Battle: The Electoral College

• How Electoral College Works• Electoral votes for each state equals its

members in Congress.• 48 states use winner-take-all system (not

Maine and Nebraska).• State electors vote in December following the

November election. • January – Congress counts votes.• House of Representatives picks president if

no majority vote.

LO 10.5



LO 10.5


LO 10.5


The Last Battle: The Electoral College

• Important Electoral College• The less populated states are

overrepresented because states get 2 electors for the senators regardless of population.

• Winner-take-all means candidates will focus on winning the states where the polls show that there appears to be a close contest.


LO 10.5


• 270 to Win

Understanding Elections and Voting BehaviorLO 10.6: Assess the extent to which elections make government officials pay attention to what voters want.

• Democracy and Elections• Elections and the Scope of

Government



Understanding Elections and Voting Behavior

• Democracy and Elections• The greater the policy differences between

candidates, the more likely voters will be able to steer government policy by their choices.

• Retrospective voting – Voters cast a vote based on what a candidate has done for them lately.

LO 10.6



Understanding Elections and Voting Behavior

• Elections and the Scope of Government• Elections accomplish two tasks• Select policymakers• Help shape public policy

• Voters feel they are sending a message to government to accomplish something.


LO 10.6


• Threats of election defeat constrain policymakers

• Increases support for government• Legitimatize the power of the state• “people see the government as their

servant instead of their master”


The End