PSCI264 Lecture Notes - Lecture 4: Gun Control
Document Summary
Research indicates that much of electoral behavior is predictable in advance. Public enters the election period w/attitudes & loyalties mostly in place. Most important: how close the candidates" values & preferences are to thers. 1/3 voters decide on how to vote before the primaries. 2/3 decide before the fall campaign. Answer: americans have a longer time horizon than the considerations that dominate news coverage. Legal changes to open up the electoral system limiting campaign spending, making election laws fairer would correct flaws. Candidates might not keep their promises impede voters from voting. Not equipped to assess candidates on policy proposals. Matter more in us today than ever before. Voters vote for the same candidate again why fix something that isn"t broke. Party identification person"s subjective feeling of affiliation with a party. Learned in childhood, not as flexible, resistant to change. People wouldn"t vote for a republican even if the democrat nominee was a yellow dog.