Voting Behaviour Issue Voting

Lesson Objectives I will get the opportunity to discuss which issues are the most important to me I will get the opportunity to identify the reasons for the collapse in the Liberal Democrat vote

Issue Voting Q - What is the name we give to undecided voters? Floating voters – People who have yet to make up their mind or consider changing their mind In March 2010, 45% said they would consider changing their mind before polling day compared to 18% in Q - What does this tell us about what has happened to the behaviour of voters in the UK?

What issues would influence your vote? Place them into order, from most to least. Economy (Job’s, money etc) Education (Tuition fees, school closures etc) Health (NHS, prescription costs etc) Crime (levels of crime in your area, sentencing policy etc) Immigration (People arriving from other countries)

It’s the economy stupid Bill Clinton used this slogan during one of his campaigns A struggling economy usually is met with a change of government 2010 election 39% thought the economy was the most important issue 55% thought it important In contrast 14% of people though immigration was the most important (the next highest) It is no surprise then that Labour were voted out of power

Not every issue is an issue every election. Some are only important for one election. Can you think of any single issues in elections that may have had an outcome on the way people have voted?

Single Issues Iraq War Tony Blair ‘s decision to take the UK into a war was perhaps the biggest single issue in recent years. It cost Labour lost of votes in 2005, even amongst their partisan supporters. In Bethnal Green, George Galloway took a safe Labour seat on an anti-war ticket However a strong economy (and a weak opposition) kept them in power

The ‘demise’ of the Lib Dem vote Recently the Lib Dem voters appear to have stopped supporting the party Apart from one by-election victory, the party has struggled badly Poor performances in the 2011 Scottish election as well as in the English local elections has left them looking for a reason why In the 2012 local council elections in Scotland, even Professor Pongoo polled more votes than the Liberal Democrat candidate Watch a clip of the ‘Prof’ here

Why has the Lib Dem vote collapsed so badly? Decision to go into coalition U-turn over tuition fee pledge

Issue Voting Voters views on who had the best policies in (2010 Election) Conservative – 29% Labour - 27% Liberal Democrats – 16% As you can see, although the Conservatives came out on top, it was by a smaller margin than their eventual victory, indicating that other influencing factors were at large

Issue Voting – Conclusion Issues which voters are passionate about are bound to impact on their vote Issues such as the economy play an important part in every election, while some issues, like the Iraq War, only have on influence on a single election However many partisan voters, issues can have little impact on their decision.