Elections and
Voting Behavior
Can you vote?! Suffrage – The right to vote.
Who can’t vote in the U.S? Incarcerated criminals
Non-citizens (immigrants)
In some states, Felons.
Some states ban those on parole from voting.
To Vote, or Not To Vote
Political Efficacy - The belief an individual has that their individual vote truly does make a difference in government
Civic Duty – The belief that an individual should vote to support the democratic process. Voting preserves the right to vote
Voter Registration
The requirement that voters must register before voting. Some states require to be
registered 30 days before the election
Some states allow day-of registration These states had higher
voting turn out than others in 2008
Why is voter turnout low?
1. Many voters forget to register.
2.Citizens vote more here than other nations 1 official for 500 citizens.
3. Choices are very similar Not a radical choice like Democracy vs. Fascism
4.Mid-week elections One of the few nations without elections on the
weekend.
Who votes anymore anyway?
Education – those with higher-than-average education vote more frequently than others
Age – Older citizens tend to vote more than younger
Race – racial minorities tend to be underrepresented
The List Keeps Going
Gender – Women were typically discouraged from voting, now they vote more often than men
Marital Status – People who are married vote more often
Government employee – Have something to lose
Felon’s Rights
How many adults aren’t given the right to vote?
What does it mean to disenfranchise?
Where do the majority of these blocked voters live?
How does this make you feel?
Party Identifier
Simplifies the Political sphere for voters “People choose to identify with a party which
they generally agree…As a result they need not concern themselves with every issue that comes along, but generally rely on their party designation to guide them”
Parties tend to rely on demographics for voters Democrats – Jewish, and Minority voters
Republicans – Conservative evangelicals, and upper-class Americans
Floating Voters? Floating voters – votes for the best
candidates based on their research and concerns Young people are likely to belong to this
group
Vote differently regardless of party
3D
Candidates worrying about image concentrate on 3 dimensions 1. Reliability
2. Competence
3. Integrity
More educated voters tend to take these into consideration when voting
Policy Voting
Voting in line with a candidate/party’s policies. Stance on abortion, war,
tax reform etc.
Candidates sometimes use vague language Nixon and Humphrey
avoided taking a clear stance on Vietnam
Conditions
Policy voting generally follows 4 conditions 1. Voters must have a clear sense of their
policy views.
2. Voters must know where candidates stand on policies
3. Must see differences between candidates
4. Must cast a vote in favor for a candidate with their views.
Tend to follow these rules 71% of the time