Voter Behavior

The Non-Voter Do you know the origin of the word “Idiot”? Comes from the Greek word “idiotes”, meaning those citizens that do not vote Tens of millions of Americans, for various reasons, fail to vote

Why Don’t People Vote? resident aliens physically unable 1) “Cannot voters” resident aliens physically unable business travelers persons confined to mental health care facilities or under legal restraint prisons/jail

Convinced their vote will not make a difference 2) Actual non-voters Convinced their vote will not make a difference Some are content w/the political world Others share a distrust towards politics Political efficacy: lack of any feeling of influence or effectiveness in politics

a) Cumbersome election procedures Registration requirements 3) Inconvenient polling a) Cumbersome election procedures Registration requirements Long ballots Lines at voting polls b) “Time-zone fallout” Polls in East Coast close prior to Mountain/Pacific time zones Media effect

Studying Voter Behavior Two Methods: Sociological Factors voter’s personal characteristics - age, race, income, education, religion voter’s group affiliations - family, co-workers, friends Psychological Factors - voter’s perception of politics

Sociological Factors Income and Occupation Voters w/higher incomes tend to vote Republican Voters w/lower incomes tend vote Democrat

Sociological Factors Education Statistics vary on education and party affiliation. College graduates lean Republican Advanced degrees (Doctorate) lean Democrat Those w/ only a high school diploma or less tend to vote Democrat

Sociological Factors Gender Gap: measurable difference between the partisan choices of men and women women tend to favor Democrats by a 5-10% margin Similarly, men favor Republicans Men and women are likely to vote differently on specific issue. Abortion, social welfare, military

Sociological Factors Age: traditionally, younger voters tend to be Democrats Different generations will have different political values

Sociological Factors Religion Catholics=Democrats Protestants=Republicans Ethnic Background non-whites=Democrats

Sociological Factors Geography=sectionalism Post Civil War - “solid” South belong to the Democrats - change began in the 1960’s, Republican Party controls the South today Large cities/urban areas=Demo Suburban America=Republicans

Red v. Blue , 1960

Red vs. Blue, 2012

Psychological Factors Party Identification: loyalty of people to a particular political party - partisanship strengthens over time - single most significant predictor Straight ticket voting: practice of voting for candidates in only one party

Rise of the Independents Split-ticket voters: practice of voting for candidates in more than one party Party identification is by no means the sole determinant of voter preference Latest Gallup Poll: 47% of voters identified themselves as Independents (no party affiliation)

Role of the Media Provide entertainment Important force in politics provide political info when they report the news Provide opinions on politics advertising “watchdogs of democracy”

Mass Media Four major types: TV Newspapers (paper and web) Radio Internet Medium: a means of communication that transmits information

Television replaced newspapers in the mid-1960’s as the main source for political info - Kennedy/Nixon Debates - Vietnam Today we have 24-hr news coverage Americans spend almost 1900 hrs. in front of a TV set=80 days

Print Media 1st used by the colonists against British rule yellow journalism: sensational stories designed to attract readers Muckraking or Investigative journalism: stories that uncovered business and govt. corruption Print media is declining w/the advent of the Internet Local newspapers are still popular

Radio Popularity exploded in the 1930’s - FDR and his “fire-side chats” Radio has survived due to its convenience - car - work

Internet Social Media: Blogs, Twitter, Facebook, snap chats and Instagram provide immediate contact between candidates and the public - voter turnout has increased w/the advent of social media - 60% of American adults use some form of social media

Public Agenda Public agenda: societal problems that the nations leaders and general public agree need govt. attention How can the media affect government and politics? 1. By influencing political opinions of voters. 2. By determining the behavior of candidates and public officials. 3. By setting the “public agenda”.