Magruder’s American Government
1st Edition
ISBN: 9780133306996
Textbook solutions
All Solutions
Section 10-3: Voting Trends
Exercise 1
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The word “idiot” came from the Greek language. It was a **term used for the citizens of ancient Greek who did not vote**, thus didn’t participate in what is referred to as public life.
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In ancient Greece, it was considered a vital responsibility to participate in voting. Voting was considered one of the most valuable actions a citizen can partake, so the ones who haven’t were called “idiotes”.
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Unlike today’s meaning, in ancient Greece, the word idiot meant a citizen who does not vote and does not participate in public life.
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If we compare this original meaning of the word with today’s meaning, we will understand that the Greeks highly valued participation in political and public life and did not have a positive opinion of those who do not use these rights.
Exercise 2
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Voter behavior has been the subject of much research in the United States. Given that the United States is a representative democracy in terms of political organization, elections and voters are a fairly important part of the system.
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The results of the survey of voter behavior are used in order to motivate voters to go to the polls and to influence the choice of voters.
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Among others, **psychological factors** greatly influence voters. These factors concern the individual view of voters on candidates, parties and the content of elections. If someone wants to influence a certain group of voters, they must understand different psychological factors.
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Voting allows the citizens to participate in creating the government and its outcomes in a democratic system.
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It is **extremely important how the voters perceive politics** – campaigns, political parties, solutions for issues, and candidates.
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Voter’s choice depends on their psychological influence. That is why politicians try to influence the citizens to be perceived in a positive light. Thus, building up to citizens’ trust to vote for the party is a role of the politicians.
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Psychological factors come out of reason and emotion. Politicians target and try to influence the psychological aspects of the citizens because they dictate the political outcomes and interests.
Exercise 3
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There are many types of research on voting behavior, so the politicians can get insight and find reasons and behavioral patterns to get the upper hand on the voters. One of the targeted groups is eligible voters with a strong intent and likeliness to vote.
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**Likely voters** are registered voters who are perceived to be highly likely to vote on election day. Likely voters are primarily people with a stable income, higher education, respectable career, educated about voting and its significance, and partake in public life outside of the voting process.
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In the political system of the United States, elections are one of the most important processes. In order to better understand and influence them, many researches deal with voters and their behavior.
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Based on these numerous surveys, an average voter profile has been compiled. Citizens who are most likely to exercise their right to vote have the following common characteristics:
**- higher level of income**
**- education**
**- better professional status**
**- participation in community life**
**- long-term residents of the community**
**- identification with the party**
**- understanding the importance of voting rights**
Exercise 4
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**Split-ticket voting** means voting for candidates belonging to different political parties for different positions in the same elections.
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This voter’s decision is mainly influenced by psychological factors that determine the way the voter perceives parties and candidates.
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Considering that there is a weakening trend of the parties themselves, the identification of voters with the parties is also weak, which can lead to a split vote. Also, many candidates try to present themselves as independent, so the voter may not realize that he is voting for members of different parties in the same elections.
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Split-ticket voting is when a voter votes for candidates from different political parties.
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**Split-ticket voting** usually occurs when voters have lost a sense of party identification. If they hadn’t and had all their trust in one political party, they sure wouldn’t vote for candidates from different parties.
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In other words, party identification and influence have lost their impact on the voters. This is due to the poorer conditions of the political parties and how they are perceived. From the voter’s side, there wasn’t enough trustworthiness to pick one party they found eligible.
Exercise 5
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Voters decide when to vote based on various factors such as party affiliation, origin, social status, level of education, etc. However, one of the most influential factors is the impression of the candidate that is developing among the voters.
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This impression develops among voters mainly under the influence of the media. The media are one of the most important tools of the election campaign – in the election year, they constantly monitor all the activities of candidates, report on them, place special shows related to the elections, organize and broadcast debates of candidates.
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The candidate’s election headquarters hire numerous media advisers who take care of all the details during the campaign: where the candidate will appear, in which show he will be a guest, with whom he will debate, what he will wear, what will be the main messages of each address, etc. All of these circumstances create a certain desired impression that is judged to be acceptable to the voter.
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One of the deciding factors that trigger voter’s decisions is how the candidate is perceived – how the candidate manages to influence voters and win their vote.
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**Candidates** send verbal and nonverbal messages mainly through the medium of the press and media. The **media** informs the population, making it a source and a tool politicians use to promote their beliefs, attitudes, campaign, promises, and political solutions. Therefore, it is important a candidate has a good relationship with the press that can showcase the candidate’s agenda and influence the voters.
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A charismatic candidate with a trustworthy appearance and who knows what he is talking about will likely attract a larger number of voters. This is because of the influence on the psychological factor of voters.
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