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