Factors that influence voting

1. Factors that Influence
Voting

2. Sociological Factors
–Income and occupation
–Education
–Sex and age
–Religious and ethnic background
–Region of the country where you live
–Family makeup

3. Psychological Factors
–Party affiliation and identification
–Perception of candidate’s policies
and/or image
–The feeling that your vote will make a
statement

4. Income and Occupation
Turnout
– Citizens with higher incomes and more education vote in greater
numbers as a whole; the #1 factor in determining voter turnout
Choice
– Lower income=Democratic
– Upper-middle & upper-income=Republican
– Labor Unions
• Once reliable Democrats, moving toward Republican party

5. Gender
Turnout
–Women vote in greater numbers than men

6. Choice
– Gender Gap—significant deviation between the way men and women vote
– Since 1988, women have voted for Democratic candidates in greater
percentages than men did
– 1996: Clinton and Dole split the male vote 50-50; women voted for Clinton by
more than 10%
• “Soccer Moms”—appealing to issues women care about
– 2004: new gender gap between single and married women
– 2008: Obama attracted women to the Dem. ticket

7. Age
Turnout
–Both parties want to capture the youth vote (18-29)
(but of you don’t capture it, does it matter?)
–Youth continue to vote in the lowest numbers
• 2014 midterms—21.5%
–Older voters are the most reliable
–Youth registration has increased due to public-service
campaigns

8. Choice
– (18-29) Tend to vote Democratic
• 2014 House midterms—54% D to 43% R
–Older voters tend to vote Republican

9. Religious Affiliation
Turnout
– Strongly affiliated religious groups tend to vote more often
Choice
– Traditionally, Catholics and Jews voted Democratic
• Catholics have moved back and forth in recent years
– Northern Protestants tend to vote Republican
– 2000 and 2004—religious gap: churchgoers voted Republican; nonchurchgoers
voted Dem.
• Due to Clinton scandal?

10. Ethnicity
Turnout
–Minority voters do not vote as much as white voters
–Small gap between black and white voters
Choice
–Minorities vote heavily Democratic
–Both parties court the minority vote

13. Geography
Turnout
–Northerners vote in larger numbers

14. Choice
– After Civil War, South voted Democratic
– During Civil Rights era, Southerners moved Republican
– South has tended to vote Republican for national elections and Democratic for local
elections
– New England and Sunbelt states=Republican
– Big cities=Democratic
– Industrial states=toss up, often Democratic b/c of union activity
• Example: Ohio in 2008 and 2012 (As Ohio goes, so goes the nation)
• Union voters are becoming less reliable Dem voters

15. Party Affiliation
Turnout
– More people are registering as Independents
Choice
– Greater overall Democratic registration
• 32% D 23% R 39% I (highest in 75 yrs)
– Americans tend to vote on individual candidates and issues rather than party
identification alone
• Especially true for Presidential elections
• Ticket-splitting for Pres and Congress occurs regularly
• 1996—Clinton reelected but Congress controlled by Repubs. (Contract With
America)
• 2012—Obama elected but HOR controlled by Repubs.