The Floating Voter in the 2008 American Elections

Authors

  • . C. Bearnot
  • Steven E. Schier

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15763/2374-7781.2012.33.%25p

Abstract

How polarized was the 2008 American electorate by partisanship and ideology? In 2008, as David RePass also discovered in 2004, a majority of the electorate is comprised of “floating voters” or “floaters” – weak party identifiers and independents with no ideological leanings. We find statistically significant evidence that floaters are lower income, less educated and younger than non-floaters. We relate this evidence to the debate between Alan Abramowitz and Morris Fiorina over the public’s ideological consistency. Evidence from both our and Repass’ studies supports Fiorina’s argument that the public possesses less ideological consistency than Abramowitz claims.

References

Abramowitz, Alan I. 2011. The Disappearing Center: Engaged Citizens, Polarization and American Democracy. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.

Fiorina, Morris P. Disconnect: The Breakdown of Representation in American Politics. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press.

Hillygus, D. Sunshine, and Todd G. Shields. 2008. The Persuadable Voter: Wedge Issues in Presidential Campaigns. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. http://dx.doi.org/10.1515/9781400831593

Key, V.O. 1955. A Theory of Critical Elections. Journal of Politics 17(1):3-18. http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/2126401

McDonald, Michael. 2011. Voter Turnout. United States Elections Project. http:// elections.gmu.edu/voter_turnout.htm. Accessed June 7, 2011.

RePass, David E. 2008. Searching for Voters along the Liberal-Conservative Continuum: The Infrequent Ideologue and the Missing Middle. The Forum 6(2):Article 5.

RePass, David E. 2011. Personal Correspondence with Authors. May 27.

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Published

2012-07-01

Issue

Vol. 33: Summer 2012

Section

Articles

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