Voter Behavior

1. Voter Behavior Chapter 6 section 4

2. Non-Voting • There are lower rates of voting in the off-year elections • Non-voting voters: voting for one office on the ballot but not all of them. Also called “ballot fatigue”

3. Why people do not vote • Cannot-voters: not legally allowed to vote or cannot vote • (aliens); ill or disabled; travelers; mentally unstable; incarcerated, religious prohibitions; racial bias • Actual non-voters:could have voted but did not. • Those that believe the system works fine and things will be great regardless of if they vote • Those that scorn the system and do not trust the political process • Those that have no sense of political efficacy

4. Other factors affecting voting • Cumbersome election procedures • Bad weather • “Time-zone fallout” • Lack of interest (apathy)

5. Comparing voters and non-voters • Voters: higher levels of income, education, and occupational status, well integrated into community life, long-time residents who are active in their community, strong sense of party identification, believe voting is important. • Non-voters: younger than 35, unmarried, unskilled, live in the South and in rural areas.

6. Sociological factors that impact voting (trends) • Income, occupation • Higher income = Republican • Education • More education = more liberal (depending) • Gender, age • Women-Democrat; Men-Republican • Younger- Democrat; Older- Republican

7. Factors that influence voters cont’d • Religion, Ethnic Background • Protestants: Republican; Catholics/Jews: Democrat • African Americans: Democrat • Latinos: Democrat • Geography • Southerners: used to be Democrat now Republican • Smaller cities and rural areas = Republican • Family and Other Groups • Family members typically vote in similar ways • Married couples usually vote in similar ways

8. Psychological Factors Party identification: the most significant predictor of how a person will vote