Voters who turn out for primary elections often are characterized as party extremists responsible for nominating candidates with ideologically extreme views. But a new analysis finds that these voters may not be much different from those who participate in general elections — although they do seem to be more interested in politics. Show Election reform advocates frequently argue that changing the primary process could reduce political polarization. The forthcoming study, from researchers at George Washington University and the University of California, Los Angeles, offers insights about the men and women who vote in primary elections — elections used to narrow a field of candidates or determine political party nominees prior to a general election. The scholars analyzed data from four elections — two presidential and two midterm elections held between 2008 and 2014 — and five surveys of the American public. They compared primary voters with general election voters and looked at whether primary voters differed from rank-and-file voters from their party, whether they were Democrats or Republicans. The results suggest that primary voters are similar in terms of demographics and policy positions to those who identify with their party or voted for its presidential candidate in the general election. Primary voters also are not very different from those who identify with their party and voted in the general election but skipped the primary. “Clearly there is a recurring debate among political scientists and commentators about whether primary electorates are representative of their parties,” the authors write. “Our evidence does not confirm repeated claims that the primary electorate is ideologically extreme or otherwise distinctive — even in the context of today’s polarized politics.” Here are more details about the findings:
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If you’re looking for more research on primary elections, check out Journalist’s Resource’s other write-ups on voter participation in presidential primaries and political involvement during the 2016 election. This photo, obtained from WyoFile‘s Flickr group, is being used under a Creative Commons license. No changes were made. Abstract One of the widely held beliefs of students of American politics is that electorates in presidential primaries are unrepresentative of the party following. Specifically, scholars believe that voters in primaries are better paid, better educated, and more ideologically extreme than the party following. This paper challenges this belief. My results show that the party following, not voters in primaries, are better educated, better paid, and more ideologically extreme. This finding emerges quite clearly if one thinks of the "party following" not simply as people who identify with the party but rather as people who are potential supporters of the party in general elections. While electorates in primaries are still "unrepresentative" of the rank and file, the biases are small enough to have few consequences when selecting candidates. These results suggest that complaints about presidential primaries being unresponsive to the wishes of the rank and file may be misplaced, implying perhaps that we should be less critical of them. Journal Information The American Journal of Political Science (AJPS), published four times each year, is one of the most widely-read political science journals in the United States. AJPS is a general journal of political science open to all members of the profession and to all areas of the discipline of political science. JSTOR provides a digital archive of the print version of American Journal of Political Science. The electronic version of American Journal of Political Science is available at http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/servlet/useragent?func=showIssues&code;=ajps. Authorized users may be able to access the full text articles at this site. Publisher Information The Midwest Political Science Association, founded in 1939, is a national organization of more than 2,800 political science professors, researchers, students, and public administrators from throughout the United States and over 50 foreign countries. The association is dedicated to the advancement of scholarly communication in all areas of political science. Each year the association sponsors a three-day conference of political scientists in Chicago for the purpose of presenting and discussing the latest research in political science. More than 2,000 individuals participate in this conference, which features 300 panels and programs on politics. The MPSA is headquartered at Indiana University. For further information, contact William D. Morgan, Executive Director, email: . Rights & Usage This item is part of a JSTOR Collection. What percentage of voters vote in presidential elections?Turnout statistics. How is the presidential election different from other elections?In other U.S. elections, candidates are elected directly by popular vote. But the president and vice president are not elected directly by citizens. Instead, they are chosen by “electors” through a process called the Electoral College. The process of using electors comes from the Constitution.
What does primary election mean?Primary elections, often abbreviated to primaries, are a process by which voters can indicate their preference for their party's candidate, or a candidate in general, in an upcoming general election, local election, or by-election.
Why are presidential elections considered to be indirect elections?Head of State
The President of the United States is elected indirectly. Technically, in a US presidential election, eligible members of the public elect the members of an Electoral College, who have previously pledged publicly to support a particular presidential candidate.
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