voter turnout

Question 1

what central questions do political economists/rational choice theorists focus on? (2)

Answer 1

1. why do voters show up at the polls? (voter turnout)
2. how do voters choose their public officials? (voter choice)

Question 2

anthony down’s theory of voting

Answer 2

elections involve the interaction between VOTERS (maximize the personal utility) and PARTIES (maximize chance of being elected)
+
parties are merely “office-seeking”

Question 3

assumptions to down’s theory of voting (5)

Answer 3

1. full + complete information
2. voting is voluntary
3. there are two parties that compete for voters’ choice
4. voters & party platforms (policies) along are distributed along a single-dimensional left-right spectrum
5. voters have “single-peaked” preferences

Question 4

“single-peaked” preferences (criteria)

Answer 4

• alternatives can be represented as points on a line
• the graph of every voter’s preferences has a single local maximum
• preference rankings of alternatives get worse further away from peak

Question 5

first equation for voter turnout + description

Answer 5

Ui(Vote) = Bi − Ci > 0

benefits from voting exceed the costs

Question 6

second equation for voter turnout + description

Answer 6

Ui(Vote) = (pi)Bi − Ci > 0

pi’s the probability that i’s vote decides the election

Question 7

Riker & Ordeshook → how does the act of voting itself give benefits unrelated to outcome? (3)

Answer 7

1. affirming allegiance to the political system
2. affirming a partisan preference
3. civic duty

Question 8

third equation for voter turnout + description

Answer 8

Ui(Vote) = (pi)Bi − Ci + Di > 0

doesn’t matter if vote mattering is 0 if act of voting feels better

Question 9

other explanations for high turnout rates (3)

Answer 9

1. social pressures & sanctions
2. reputation building (e.g., as a good citizen)
3. voters care also to provide a mandate

Question 10

sources of abstaining under compulsory voting (2)

Answer 10

1. invalid voting → casting a blank/null ballot (not engaging in vote choice)
2. electoral absenteeism → not showing up and paying a fine

Question 11

variables determining abstaining (4)

Answer 11

1. socio-demographic variables (age, education, income)
2. electoral-context variables (closeness of the race)
3. “protest” variables (disenchantment with elections)
4. degree of enforcement of compulsory voting

Question 12

criticism of the downsian model of electoral competition

Answer 12

fails to account for factors such as party ideology and voter loyalty (prevent complete policy convergence)