Elections & Voting Behavior

Legitimacy

• Elections are accepted as a free

and fair method of selecting
political leaders
• Legitimacy is high in the United
States
 Three types of elections:

– primary elections

– general elections

– Select options on specific policies

 Referendum

–State voters approve or disapprove

proposed legislation or
constitutional amendment
 Initiative petition
–Voters in some states can propose
changes in the state constitution
–Typically requires gaining
signatures
–Lawmaking from the ground up
 Precinct
• A precinct is a voting district.
 Polling Place
• A polling place is where the voters who live
in a precinct go to vote. 
• It is located in or near each precinct.  Polling
places are supposed to be located
conveniently for voters.
 Voter Registration:
– A system adopted by the states that
requires voters to register well in
advance of the election day.
– Registration procedures differ from
state to state.
– Tends to discourage voting
 Motor Voter Act
•  

• Requires states to permit people

to register to vote at the same
time they apply for their driver’s
license
 Absentee Ballot 

• a vote cast by someone who is

unable or unwilling to attend
the official polling station on
election day
 Ballot
• Used to record choices made by voters
• History of the ballot
– Oral
• It was considered “manly” to speak out your vote
without fear of reprisal.
– Paper ballots-mid 1800s, provide your own
– Party ballot
– Australian ballot reform-1880s
 Australian Ballot
• official ballot
• public expense
• all voters receive same ballot
• lists all candidates
• distributed at polling place
• secret
 Electronic Voting
• Possibilities for elderly and disabled
• Quick and Simple

• Malfunctions
• Hacking
 Suffrage
• The right to vote
The Electorate has expanded many times in
history:
– 1870- 15th amendment-black men right to vote
– 1920- 19th amendment-women
– 1924- Congress granted Native Americans
citizenship and vote
– 1964- 24th amendment prohibited use of poll tax
– 1965- Voting Rights Act of 1995-removed
restrictions that kept blacks from voting.
– 1971-26th amendment, 18 year old vote
• Suffrage has broadened, and turnout
has decreased.
–Basically, more people can vote,
but they don’t….
Who is more likely to vote?
• Gender • Age
– Males 61.5% – 18-24 48.5%
– Female 65.7% – 25-34 57%
– 35-44 62.8%
• Race/Ethnicity – 45-54 67.4%
– White 64.4% – 55-64 71.5%
– Black 64.7% – 65-74 72.4%
– Hispanic 49.9% – 75 & older 67.8%
– Asian 47.6%
• Education
• Citizenship – Less than high school 39.4%
– Native Born 64.4% – High school Grad/GED 54.9%
– Naturalized 54%
• Kansas 63.3%
• Missouri 65.8%
 Voter Turnout 

• Turnout is highest in presidential general

elections.
 Why is Turnout so Low
• Too busy ------------------------------17.5%
• Illness/disability --------------------14.9%
• Not interested ----------------------13.4%
• Didn’t like candidates -------------12.9%
• Out of town --------------------------8.8%
How do we increase voter turnout?
Deciding Whether to Vote
 Political Efficacy:
• The belief that one’s political
participation really matters.
 Civic Duty:
• The belief that in order to support
democratic government, a citizen
should always vote.
• Even if completely indifferent/uninterested
in the election.
 How People Vote 
• People tend to vote on the basis of
three factors:
1. Party
2. Issues
3. Candidates
 Voting on the Basis of Party

–Most people vote for candidates

from the party with whom they
identify with.

• Straight-ticket voting: voting for candidates of the same party

for multiple positions
• Split-ticket voting: Voting for candidates of different parties
for various offices in the same election
 Voting on the Basis of Policy
– Basing your vote choice on issue
preferences like abortion, healthcare, etc…
– Must know where they and the candidates
stand on issues and see differences
between candidates.
– Candidates can be ambiguous on the
issues.
– Wedge Issues
Voting on the Basis of the Candidates

– Candidates want a good visual image.

– Most important dimensions are integrity,
reliability, experience and competence.
– Personality still plays a role.
– Intelligence is not often chosen as an
important dimension.

 
 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.
 Retrospective Voting
• Voting based on an evaluation of the current
officeholder or party in control

• What have you done for

me lately?
 Historical Background
– The framers disagreed on how to elect
a president—congressional selection
or direct popular election.
– Compromise: The Electoral College
– give the nation’s elite the power to
choose the president and vice
president rather than the people
directly.
 State electoral votes =
U.S. House + Senate members
– Kansas: 4 House members plus 2 senators = 6
electoral votes

– California: 53 House members plus 2 senators = 55

electoral votes

– Total: 435 House members plus 100 senators plus

3 electors for the District of Columbia = 538
electoral votes
What if no one receives a majority?
– To win, a candidate needs a majority, that is, 270
electoral votes.

– If no candidate has a majority, the House selects

the president from among the three presidential
candidates with the most electoral votes.

– Each state delegation has one vote.

 Pros
• Preserves the two party system
• Keeps our politics moderate-extreme parties
have little chance of winning any state
• Protects minorities
• Recounts are confined to a few states instead
of a national recount
• Small states remain important
 Cons
• Can distort the popular vote
• Gives too much power to swing states
• Faithless Electors
• Does my vote even matter?
 To Conclude:
• How the actual voting process works
– Registering, going to a polling place and casting a
ballot
• Voter Turnout
– Some people vote and others don’t, but there are
legitimate reasons for both
• How we vote
– Policy, party, or how good a candidate looks in a
suit
• The Electoral College
– Popular Vote vs. a Peer Review