ELECTIONS AND VOTING BEHAVIOR Three types of elections

ELECTIONS AND VOTING BEHAVIOR

Three types of elections ◦ Primaries ◦ General Elections ◦ Specific policy questions

Policy questions ◦ Not done on a nationwide level, but in some countries it is (Brexit? ) ◦ State level ◦ Referendum – voters approve or disapprove of a proposed piece of legislation or amendment ◦ Initiative Petition ◦ Some states ◦ Voters can put proposed changes in state constitution if they get enough signatures (10%) (112, 544 in NV) ◦ Proposition 209 – ended affirmative action programs in CA ◦ Marijuana legalization in NV

Legitimacy ◦ Voters in the U. S. generally see elections as legitimate and accept the results

Voting ◦ Suffrage ◦ Who could vote at the time of the country’s founding ◦ Who can vote now? ◦ Who can’t? ◦ 13 th, 14 th, 15 th, 19 th, 24 th, 26 th Amendments ◦ As the right to vote has been extended, fewer people eligible to vote have chosen to vote

Deciding whether to vote ◦ Is it worth your time? ◦ Should voting day be changed? ◦ Downs Model ◦ People vote if they believe one party’s policies will benefit them more than another party’s ◦ Political Efficacy ◦ Belief that your vote matters and makes a difference

Registering to vote ◦ Initially begun as a way to stop ballotstuffing ◦ You have to register to vote in almost all states ◦ Other countries? ◦ Does this affect voter turnout? ◦ Motor Voter Act -1993 ◦ Check a box at DMV ◦ Hasn’t significantly increased voter turnout

Who Votes? ◦ Education ◦ Age ◦ Race ◦ Gender ◦ Religion ◦ Marital Status ◦ Government Employment

How we vote ◦ Mandate Theory ◦ Who supports this theory? ◦ Political scientists are skeptical ◦ Party Identification ◦ How we see the candidates ◦ Integrity, reliability, and competence ◦ Also dependability and decisiveness ◦ Studies

Policy Voting ◦ Choices based on where candidates stand on the issues ◦ Four conditions ◦ ◦ Must have clear view of own policy position Know where candidates stand on issues See differences between the candidates Actually cast a vote