Election Issues Research Articles

Older Voters: A Phantom Tyranny of Numbers? A Response to Berry: Young People and the Ageing Electorate: Breaking the Unwritten Rule of Representative Democracy

This article is a response to Berrys arguments on the impact of population ageing as potentially marginalising younger people in the democratic process. Berry constructs a pessimistic account where a powerful grey vote will enact an age-based 'majority rule' and posits this as a 'democratic deficit' that contravenes the 'unwritten' rules of democracy. This response argues that automatic assumptions of age-related majority rule are frequently based upon a highly flawed grey power model and the need to incorporate intergenerational and intra-family solidarity, as well as life-cycle factors into these debates. This response agrees that older voters are likely to become much more important in electoral politics, but not because they will vote as a bloc or aggressively pursue material self-interest, but because ageing policy challenges may increasingly attain the status of valence issues in future elections.

Valence Issues in African Elections

Previous analyses of African politics have mistaken parties’ dearth of position taking on issues as an absence of substantive electoral debate. The authors demonstrate that political parties tackle substantive issues during African elections, but generally voice them through valence appeals rather than by staking out distinct positions. The authors theorize that uncertainty, coupled with the single-party heritage and the elite dominance of African electoral politics, leads parties to employ valence discourse in their national election campaigns. With evidence from 950 newspaper articles during seven election cycles in African countries, the authors show that politicians predominantly use valence discourse when discussing political issues in the period approaching elections. They find tentative evidence that opposition actors are more likely to take positions than incumbents, and that civil society is more likely to raise position issues than political parties. This contribution aims to enrich the debate on electoral issues in Africa, but also draw greater attention to the potential impact of valence discourse on party systems in a comparative context.

Following the Money: Campaign Finance Disclosure in India and the United States

Abstract The authors compare the legal and administrative challenges of campaign finance disclosure regimes in the United States and the Republic of India. While the two countries' campaign finance laws differ markedly, they share the goal of timely and accurate disclosure of campaigns' financial activities. However, the two countries have encountered different obstacles to the realization of this goal. The authors discuss the responses to these obstacles, and examine how the different approaches taken by the United States and India reflect each country's distinct legal culture, broader treatment of election issues, and prior experience with campaign finance regulation.

The Spring 2011 Landtag Elections: Regional Specificities or National Electoral Dynamics?

The year 2011 is a Superwahljahr in Germany, with five states (Hamburg, Saxony-Anhalt, Baden-Württemberg, Rhineland-Palatinate and Bremen) holding Land-level elections in the spring and two more (Berlin and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania) following in the autumn. The debate on the ‘second-order’ nature of Land elections – whether they are to be understood by their own regionally specific dynamics or whether they primarily serve as a proxy for national electoral trends – provides the frame for this election report and its discussion of campaigns, election results and coalition outcomes. These elections could perhaps best be described as ‘one-and-a-half-order’ elections: in some of these elections there was evidence of national electoral trends and national political issues, and voters undoubtedly rendered something of a judgement on the federal coalition government. Nevertheless, election and coalition outcomes probably had more to do with the specific political conditions prevailing in each of these states than with any overarching national dynamic.

Coalition voting and minority governments in Canada

Inter-party voting coalitions in three minority cabinets were analysed: the 38th (2004–05), 39th (2006–08) and 40th (2008–11) Federal Canadian Parliaments. The paper begins by developing a simple theory to explain the formation of voting coalitions. The theory predicts that electoral incentives and policy issues drive minority government support. The main contention is that voting coalitions are more likely to form along ideological lines, as proposed by Axelrod [(1970) The Conflict of Interest (Chicago: Markham)]. However, the analysis also demonstrates that voting coalitions form along a second dimension in the Canadian Parliament, mainly on issues related to federalism and the province of Quebec. Some evidence is also provided to show that expected electoral gains could explain why certain parties choose to support the government more, despite ideological incentives.

Health care issues in Croatian elections 2005-2010: series of public opinion surveys.

AimTo compare the results of a series of public opinion surveys on experiences with the health care sector in Croatia conducted in the time of elections and to analyze whether political party affiliation had any influence on issues of priority ranking.MethodsThe surveys were conducted during 2005, 2007, and 2009. They were administered through a Computer Assisted Telephone Interviewing method to representative samples of Croatian population and were statistically weighted according to sex, age, level of education, and political party affiliation. The random sampling of the person within the household was done using the table of random numbers.ResultsHealth and health care system was the most important issue (58%) during the 2007 parliamentary election and the second most important issue during the 2005 and 2009 elections (46% and 28%). In the 2007 election, health care was viewed as most important by women, respondents with lower education levels, and respondents with lower income. In 2005, the most important health care issues were corruption and lack of funding (45% and 43%, respectively), in 2007 poor organization and lack of funding (43% and 42%, respectively), and in 2009 lack of funding and corruption (51% and 45%, respectively).ConclusionHealth and health care system were consistently among the top two issues in all elections from 2005 to 2009. The top three most important health care sector issues were corruption, poor organization, and lack of funding. This indicates that political parties should include solutions to these issues in their health care policymaking.

What is constant in a time of change?

Nowadays, not only medicine is under the pressure of rapid change and transformation. This is characteristic for every discipline; moreover, the complexity of the changes that are taking place has had the effect on every sphere of life, even the individual sphere. The results are not always positive and the consequences could be harsh and out of control of the affected individuals. The global economy, global warming, global informatization, and other “global” phenomena add to the uncontrollable spin of events generated at the local level. These global-local combinations result in important novel opportunities but also in novel risks for everyone. Although it can seem paradoxical in the time of rapid changes, a possible answer to the increasing challenges could be a retreat toward basic questions. Which basic issues add to the quality of our life? Which basic values are worth preserving? On what foundations can we build the continuous adaptation necessary to cope with the complex changes? I believe that increasing challenges around us should make everybody question the validity of the very basic postulates of our lives. If we adopt this standpoint, the results of the Cover Page study by Radin, Džakula, and Benkovic in this issue of the Croatian Medical Journal are not at all surprising (1). The study used the data collected through the telephone interviewing in order to test the pre-election public opinion in the last three Croatian elections. When asked about the most important election issue, the voters, surprisingly indeed, repeatedly chose – health! These results are particularly valuable in the eve of the 2011 Croatian elections. The identification of health as a priority challenges the domination of other concurrent issues related to the immediate situation. Health was chosen as a priority in Croatia, a typical country in the process of transition and accession to the European Union, where the changes should be even more accelerated and aggressive. It may be indeed surprising for the political establishment facing the upcoming election that through all this time of changes in Croatia, in 2005, 2007, and 2009, health stubbornly remained among the two most important election issues for the voters. The importance of health documented in this study reveals not only voters’ standpoints, but also an important constant in the change. The health issue certainly needs to be addressed by strategies presented to the voters and implemented after the election.

Board Holds Dues Steady, Keeps Paper-Ballot Option

Back to table of contents Previous article Next article Association NewsFull AccessBoard Holds Dues Steady, Keeps Paper-Ballot OptionKen HausmanKen HausmanSearch for more papers by this authorPublished Online:19 Aug 2011https://doi.org/10.1176/pn.46.16.psychnews_46_16_11AbstractAddressing several fiscal issues at its July meeting in Arlington, Va., the APA Board of Trustees voted to maintain the current level of member dues for 2012. (There has only been one increase in national membership dues over the last 15 years.) The Board voted as well to increase by $500 the dues amount for members who elect to use the one-time lump-sum payment option in 2012. Finally, those who renew their APA membership for next year will be entitled to a one-time 50 percent discount on the purchase of a book published by American Psychiatric Publishing, with the maximum discount set at $50. The offers expires on December 12. Also on the membership front, Joseph Rubin, M.D., chair of the Membership Committee, said the committee is focusing on increasing the number of international members of APA and is planning several initiatives to accomplish that, including creating an ambassadors program for existing members who travel to international meetings, contacting groups that represent international medical graduates to see if their members want to engage in outreach to psychiatrists in their homelands, and advertising in international psychiatric publications. In other actions, the Board voted toinform the Board of Directors of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology of concern among APA members about the maintenance-of-certification process and requirements. reject, as it has in the past, a proposal to add Las Vegas to the roster of cities in which APA holds its annual meeting. Among the reasons stated was that the city's large hotels would block out rooms for APA only on weekdays, which would necessitate a major shift in the meeting's schedule. The Las Vegas hotels reserve large blocks of rooms for customers who gamble on weekends. Some Board members also objected to the message that would be conveyed to the public if the nation's psychiatrists met in the nation's largest gambling mecca. create a Caucus on Spirituality, Religion, and Psychiatry, which will be under the Council on Minority Mental Health and Health Disparities. reaffirm APA's position statement on homosexuality and to send a letter to the Ugandan government explaining who APA represents, referencing its position statement. Adopted originally in 1992, the statement says: "Whereas homosexuality per se implies no impairment in judgment, stability, reliability, or general social or vocational capabilities, the American Psychiatric Association (APA) calls on all international health organizations, psychiatric organizations, and individual psychiatrists in other countries to urge the repeal in their own countries of legislation that penalizes homosexual acts by consenting adults in private. Further, APA calls on these organizations and individuals to do all that is possible to decrease the stigma related to homosexuality wherever and whenever it may occur." The action was taken in response to legislation in Uganda to criminalize homosexuality and to mandate the death penalty for HIV-positive gay people who engage in same-sex relations. approve a position statement opposing proposed legislation to allow guns on college and university campuses. Such legislation is on the dockets in about a dozen states. The statement reads: "The American Psychiatric Association views the prohibition of guns on campus as a major health initiative that is necessary to ensure the welfare and well-being of students at institutions of higher education and opposes legislation that would increase the risk to these students by allowing guns to be carried on campus." ask the APA Elections Committee to simplify the election guidelines by considering the removal of restrictions on candidate publications, presentations, and campaign communications. Much discussion centered on whether the rapid spread of social media such as Facebook might affect—and complicate—how candidates and their supporters communicate with APA members about election issues. The committee is to look into whether rules regarding social media are needed to "ensure a level playing field." retain the system used in the most recent election in which members for whom APA does not have a valid e-mail address will continue to receive a paper ballot automatically. This rescinds a previous vote that would have made APA's elections all electronic, thus ending the practice of mailing paper ballots to some or all members. endorse a eating-disorders treatment brochure produced by the Academy of Eating Disorders. The brochure notes that "eating disorders are serious mental illness with significant, life-threatening psychiatric morbidity and mortality" and emphasizes the importance of "early intervention and timely recognition." It also discusses signs and symptoms, treatment goals, and management of eating disorders. More information is posted on the academy's Web site at <www.aedweb.org>. ISSUES NewArchived

Party competition in regional elections

This article focuses on the electoral strategies of state-wide parties (SWPs) with regard to centre–periphery issues in regional elections. It applies Meguid’s Position–Salience–Ownership (PSO) theory to regional electoral competition in Spain and the United Kingdom. We anticipate that SWPs will seek to vary their strategies, especially in regional elections where they face fierce competition from regionalist parties. We also expect their strategies to be influenced by the SWPs' strategy in state-wide elections. The analysis reveals that the key assumptions of the PSO stack up quite well when applied to regional elections. It also reveals the influence of the multi-layered institutional context in which SWPs compete: at the regional level, said parties do not necessarily adopt the most logical strategy according to the PSO theory if this runs counter to the prevailing SWP strategy at the state-wide level.

The Liberal Party of Canada: Still Canada’s “Natural Governing Party?”

Canada´s evolving party system has shifted the discursive, institutional, and legal frameworks for how party politics are performed in Canada. As a result, the dominant track record of the Liberal Party of Canada now faces several new challenges to its historical status as Canada´s natural governing party. The inability to successfully fundraise to set election issues within the guidelines of new legal regulations has weakened the Liberal Party´s ability to compete with the Conservatives. The current leader-driven model of cadre party politics has also put more emphasis on attracting peripheral voters, such as flexible partisans and dealigned voters, which makes one-party domination less likely. Furthermore, the Liberal Party has also faced recent loses to their core support, due to shifts in historical regional support, religious support, and the support of ethnic minorities.

Campaign Messages in Lower-Court Elections After Republican Party of Minnesota vs. White

Judicial scholars worry about the increasing use of attack advertising and hot-button issues in judicial elections. The U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Republican Party of Minnesota v. White has the potential to exacerbate these trends. By surveying lower-court candidates across six states, we investigate whether these trends have reached lower-court elections. We also investigate the effects of the White decision by using the varying interpretations of White in these states. Only a small minority of lower-court candidates take positions on politically charged issues or engage in negative campaigning. Most candidates campaign on traditional themes and issues, like experience and qualifications or court administration issues. Moreover, we find no evidence to suggest White has had any effect on the tone or content of judicial rhetoric.

The Space between Worlds: Federalism, Public Issues and Election Issues

This paper reconciles two strands of literature on federalism and mass political behaviour behaviour, but the reconciliation is not a happy one. One strand of literature pointed out optimistically that Canadians keep their two political worlds—provincial and federal—more separate than citizens in any other federation. Another strand points to the obvious difficulty citizens would have in separating the contribution of the two levels of government to policy results on the ground. Are these arguments fundamentally at odds? These two strands of literature can be reconciled by showing how federalism, particularly the Canadian version, forces parties, voters, and the media to make elections about issues that feature less intergovernmentalism. Unfortunately, these issues are usually of less concern to citizens than the highly intergovernmental policy areas systematically ignored in both federal and provincial elections. In short: Canadian elections are about the wrong things and federalism is to blame.

Career pitching statistics and the probability of throwing a no-hitter in MLB: A case-control study

(2010). Career Pitching Statistics and the Probability of Throwing a No-Hitter in MLB: A Case-Control Study. CHANCE: Vol. 23, Election Issues, pp. 25-33.

Who Influences Whom? The Agenda-Building Relationship Between Political Candidates and the Media in the 2002 Michigan Governor's Race

Building on previous research in the field of agenda-building by examining the relationships between candidates and the media, this study used content analysis to examine how the 2002 Michigan candidates for governor presented election issues in press releases, and the subsequent media coverage of the issues in Michigan newspapers. The analysis revealed positive cross-lagged correlations between candidate and media issue agendas at certain times of the campaign. While the current study suggests that certain news sources can have an influence on the subsequent media agenda, results indicated a reciprocal effect, indicating that candidates also run the risk of being influenced by the same media they are attempting to influence.

Wybory biskupów w świetle korespondencji Grzegorza Wielkiego

Having presented briefly the context in which the Church found herself, as well as the criteria required of candidates to episcopacy, the author discusses problems related to the promotion of bishops, based on selected examples extracted from the correspondences of Pope Gregory the Great. It shows that His Holiness was aware of the significant role played by episcopal elections in the Church’s life. His interventions in this matter were to ensure that local sees were assigned to appropriate candidates, i.e. those of good reputation, outstanding in good morals and possessing the expertise required in Sacred Scriptures and Catholic doctrines. Procedures implemented by Pope Gregory the Great with the aim of achieving this goal involved, amongst other things gathering information about the candidates to the episcopacy as well as the inclusion of the entire local clergy and all the lay faithful in the electoral process. Such a policy undertaken by His Holiness in promoting episcopates was aimed at strengthening their ties with the Holy See. This proved to be influential, especially during the institutional and structural destruction in Western Italia and threats from the Lombards, who wanted to destroy the well-established traditional Roman order. To avoid all forms of manipulation by lay persons in ecclesiastical matters, this policy excluded the possibility of promoting a layman to the episcopacy. Where there were difficulties in solving electoral issues, Gregory the Great often personally appointed candidates from the local clergy or from the Roman clergy. Pope Gregory the Great also reserved the right of preconisation of the elected bishops.

Chasing the Youth Vote: Kevin07, Web 2.0 and the 2007 Australian Federal Election

The 2007 Australian federal election was the first in which the online campaign and Web 2.0 technologies moved into the mainstream. Though not the first election campaign where political parties had maintained an internet presence, it was the first in which Facebook friends of party leaders were compared in the mainstream press, the first where YouTube videos became election issues and the first where online interactions between parties and party supporters were reported as real and breaking news. Amongst all of the online campaigning, though, it was the Australian Labor Party (ALP) that was widely recognised as presenting the best and most effective online presence. With a site that embraced social networking tools, hosted online video, included regular blog posts from leading party figures and drew on user contributions for content, the ALP’s Kevin07.com.au brought the election campaign to Australia’s online community in a way that was without equal in this or any previous election. The site, widely held to be aimed at drawing young people to the ALP, was judged an unqualified success in the wake of the ALP’s historic November win where the party secured a significant majority of the youth vote. The role of the Kevin07.com.au site in drawing young people to the ALP is, however, open to debate. Indeed, when one considers pre-election polling data, it becomes clear that young voters had established firm voting intentions long before the ALP’s online campaign was launched.This paper is presented in four parts. The first presents a review of the increasingly important role played by the online elements of an Australian federal election campaign. Tracing an eleven year, four election period from 1996 to 2007, this section traces the growing focus of political parties, the mainstream media and voters on the online presence of campaigning parties. The second part of this paper presents the ALP’s Kevin07.com.au site, the centrepiece of the ALP’s online campaign for young voters. The third part of this paper offers evidence that contradicts the notion that the online campaign of the ALP was effective in winning young voters to their cause. Specifically, by considering opinion poll data from 2005 until the election in November 2007 it is clear that while there was a significant rise in support for the ALP amongst young people, this rise occurred many months before the launch of the website and can be attributed to the party’s change in leadership. A discussion section follows and the paper concludes by suggesting that – for a number of reasons – the 2007 election was an anomaly in terms of the impact of the internet on the voting intentions of Australian youth and that future campaigning online may well have a measureable and significant effect in drawing young people to a political party.

Road Crashes and the Next U.S. Presidential Election

(2010). Road Crashes and the Next U.S. Presidential Election. CHANCE: Vol. 23, Election Issues, pp. 20-24.

The Contribution of Star Players in the NBA: A Story of Misbehaving Coefficients

(2010). The Contribution of Star Players in the NBA: A Story of Misbehaving Coefficients. CHANCE: Vol. 23, Election Issues, pp. 39-45.

Overview of the 2010 Census Coverage Measurement Program and Its Evaluations

(2010). Overview of the 2010 Census Coverage Measurement Program and Its Evaluations. CHANCE: Vol. 23, Election Issues, pp. 46-51.

A new barrier to participation: Heterogeneous application of voter identification policies

In democratic societies there is a tension between maximizing ballot access and minimizing voter fraud. Since the 2000 presidential election, this tension has been central to discussions about election reform at the national, state, and local level. We examine this tension by focusing on the implementation of voter identification laws in one state that has experienced significant issues in recent elections, and that is currently implementing election reform: New Mexico. We hypothesize that Hispanic voters are more likely to show some form of identification than other types of voters. Using a voter data set from New Mexico's First Congressional District in the 2006 election, we find that Hispanic, male and Election Day voters are more likely to show some form of identification than non-Hispanic, female and early voters. In addition, using an overlapping study of Bernalillo County 2006 poll workers, which almost entirely overlaps with the First Congressional District, we find no evidence that differences in poll worker partisanship or ethnicity produce differences in voter identification procedures. Our findings suggest that broad voter identification laws, which may be applied unequally, may be perceived as discriminatory.