What should voters know?

1
What should voters know?

• Information and its importance to the electoral
  process

2
What functions do elections serve in a democracy?

• 1. Supply legitimacy
• 2. Solve principal-agent problems
• 3. Ensure governmental responsiveness

3

• What role should information play in the
  electoral process?
• What should voters know?

4
What do voters know?

• Not much.

5
Institutions and rules

• The good news
• the United States is a democracy (88)
• presidents serve 4 years (93)
• know that popular votes dont elect the president
  (69)

6
Institutions and Rules

• The bad news
• The length of a House term or a Senate term
  (30, 25)
• Can Name two or three branches of government
  (27, 19)

7
Important people in politics

• 99 can name the US president
• 25 can name both of their US Senators
• 29 can correctly name their representative in
  the House

8
Facts related to politics

• 31 can describe affirmative action
• 35 can say where most immigrants are coming from
• 19 can locate Colombia on a map
• 39 can locate Massachusetts on a map
• 15 can say what the New Deal was

9
Irrationality

• "Requiring most businesses to offer health
  insurance to their employees, with tax incentives
  for small business owners to do so" 2/17-18/10
• Favor 75 Oppose 20 Unsure 5    
• "Requiring that all Americans have health
  insurance, with the government providing
  financial help to those who can't afford
  it" 2/17-18/10
• Favor 59 Oppose 36 Unsure 5
• "If health coverage is required for everyone,
  imposing fines on individuals who don't obtain
  coverage and on larger businesses that don't
  offer it" 2/17-18/10
• Favor 28 Oppose 62 Unsure 10

Newsweek Poll conducted by Princeton Survey
Research Associates International. Feb. 17-18,
2010. N1,009 adults nationwide. MoE 3.6 (for
all adults).
10
Irrationality

• "As you know, after the man in the Christmas
  Day incident was turned over to the FBI, agents
  read him the statement of his rights, including
  the right to remain silent, that is read to all
  people who are arrested by the police or the FBI
  in this country. Do you think the FBI should or
  should not have done that?" N522 (Form A), MoE
  4.5   
• Should 65 Should not 33 Unsure 2        
•  "As you know, the police and FBI agents always
  inform suspects of their constitutional right to
  remain silent and to have a lawyer present during
  any questioning. Do you think law enforcement
  officials should or should not follow this
  practice for people who are suspected of
  attempting to commit an act of terrorism?" N501
  (Form B), MoE 4.5   
• Should 56 Should not 43 Unsure 2

CNN/Opinion Research Corporation Poll. Feb.
12-15, 2010. N1,023 adults nationwide. MoE 3
(for all adults).
11
Question wording effects

• Do you favor or oppose direct US Military action
  against Iraq at this time?
•     Gallup, 8/3-4/1990, 23 favor, 68 oppose
• Would you approve or disapprove of using US
  troops to force the Iraqis to leave Kuwait?
•    Gallup, 8/9-12/1990, 64 agree, 36 disagree
• Should or should not the US take military action
  if Iraq refuses to withdraw from Kuwait?
• NBC/WSJ, 8/18/1990, 49 should, 51 should not

12
Recognition, not recallMann and Wolfinger, 1980
13
Why so little?

• Mostly from the media (mostly horse-race,
  scandal, and conflict, if anything)
• Complex processes
• Most elections arent competitive, so why bother

14
Maybe Voters are not fools?

• Its ok to use low information rationality and
  shortcuts like party
• Its ok to change your mind and so not have
  consistent positions
• Its ok to vote based on past performance
• Information doesnt matter at all because voting
  is about values and trust
• Maybe the Drunkards search is really rational?