The Vote Choice: Selecting Candidates

The second decision in voting involves a choice of a candidate to support with your vote or a decision on an issue of public policy. We’ll consider a decision about candidates first.

You’ve already made a plan to vote. However, you have to decide which candidates to support for all of the offices on the ballot. Political scientists note that there are three bases for the vote choice: (1) Party affiliation; (2) Issue positions of the candidates; and (3) candidate characteristics. 

If you’re affiliated with a political party (either party), then vote for the party with which you’re affiliated. The percentage of Texas registered voters that affiliate with the Republican Party of Texas is, according to the UT/Texas Tribune Poll of February 2024), approximately 37 percent (That does not consider Republican Leaning Independents [RLI] as partisans). According to the same poll, approximately 37 percent of Texas registered voters identify with the Democratic Party (same caveat about Democratic Leaning Independents [DLI]). That leaves 36 percent of registered voters who are Independents (identify with no political party on the first question in the party identification question).

Political scientists know that the strong partisan identifiers are most likely to vote for their party’s candidates (usually 80-90 percent). The so-called weak partisans are less likely to vote for their party’s candidates (75 percent or less). Actually, Independents who lean toward one of the political parties are more likely than weak partisans to support the candidates of the political party toward which they lean.

If you’re an Independent, you don’t have partisanship on which to cast your vote, which leaves two factors to shape your choice of candidates. Some voters choose political issues to determine their choice of candidates. The question then becomes: Which issue or issues are important to you? If you are only concerned about one issue, then you are a one-issue voter. Your vote is based on the candidate’s position on that issue in each contest. You only care about that one issue and cast your vote accordingly. However, if you care about several issues, it would be best to rank the issues, research the candidates’ positions on the issues, and then cast your vote for the candidate who most aligns with you on the issues.

Other non-partisans choose candidates based on the candidates’ personal characteristics. There are two methods of choosing candidates based on the candidate’s character. The older is James David Barber’s Presidential Character, which bases the vote on two factors: (1) Energy Level: How much effort the candidate puts into his work, and (2) Affect for the Job: How much a candidate enjoys his political office and her reason for seeking the job. The factors can be combined to produce four character types:

Active-Positive: A person devotes high levels of energy to her job and has high satisfaction from performing the duties of the job. Also, the person sought the job to help others.

Active-Negative: A person who devotes high levels of energy to her job but lacks satisfaction from the job. Performing the duties of the job is burdensome. Also, the person sought the job for personal reasons, usually to overcome a feeling of low self-esteem.

Passive-Positive: A person who puts little energy into performing the job but finds satisfaction in the job. The person sought the job to help others but expends little energy in performing the duties of the position. Instead, she delegates responsibilities of the position to others.

Passive-Negative: A person who puts little energy into the performing the duties of the office and considers the duties burdensome and not worthy of her efforts.

A more recent conception of character by Stanley A. Renshon considers three factors: Ambition, Integrity, and Relatedness. Ambition is the person’s desire to succeed. Ambition motivates a person to action. It’s uninhibited drive. Integrity places limits on a person’s ambition. Relatedness is a person’s relationship with others. It’s how a person views others who are close to her. Most recently, Renshon has woven in the idea of the times as important in the person chosen for his character. His analysis of Donald Trump provides a rich analysis of what makes him unique.

Another view of the personal basis of the vote choice hinges on the personal traits that people desire in a leader:

Apart from how they see the candidates on the issues, voters form images of the personal qualities and abilities of the candidates, and these perceptions are important influences on the vote. One important aspect of personal character is the perceived honesty and trustworthiness of the candidates—what might be termed an integrity dimension. Another important dimension, which might be termed competence, involves the experience and knowledge of the candidates; in particular, voters are unlikely to vote for someone whom they feel lacks the experience and ability to handle the job of president. A third important dimension involves the leadership ability of the candidates. Those who are perceived as strong and inspiring leaders are much more likely to be preferred by the voters. Finally, there is an empathy dimension; voters favor candidates whom they see as concerned and caring about people like them. These four dimensions of personal traits may vary in their importance; perhaps one of the dimensions will be particularly important in any given election, while another will be relatively unimportant in that election. (Italics added)

Are Liberals Different from Conservatives in Terms of Morality?

I remember reading Jonathan Haidt's "The Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion" in 2012. I thought at the time that the idea of moral foundations was an interesting explanation of the reason that people adopted a political view on moral issues. More recently, I have discovered a debate over whether the differences between liberals and conservatives on moral foundations are correct.

In 2009, Jesse Graham, Jonathan Haidt, and B.A. Nosek identified differences between liberals and conservatives on the five moral foundations that are innate in all humans. These five moral foundations are the following pairs of moral positions:

1. The Care/Harm Foundation makes humans sensitive to suffering and needs. The result is that humans attempt to protect the vulnerable through laws that punish those who harm other humans and provide care for those who are less fortunate. 
2. The Fairness/Cheating Foundation causes humans to seek others who want fairness in society and seek to punish those people who cheat the system to promote their own interests. To some, fairness denotes equality. For others, fairness dictates proportionality. A person should be rewarded based on their contributions, even if the result is unequal. 
3. The Loyalty/Betrayal Foundation promotes the group to which one belongs and benefits for group members. Thus, loyalty to the "in-group" as well as hostility to the "out-group" is demanded. Members of the "out-group" are evil and need to be eliminated.
4. The Authority/Supervision Foundation promotes social order and opposes chaos.
5. Sanctity/Degradation Foundation promotes the preservation of whatever is holy or sacred, whether objects, ideals, or institutions. 

Source: Jonathan Haidt, The Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and                                Religion, 1st Edition, Kindle Edition

 On the scale created and refined by Graham, Haidt, and Nosek, liberals score highest on Care and Fairness, and much lower on Loyalty, Authority, and Sanctity. On the other hand, Conservatives score about the same on all five Moral Foundations. Haidt maintains that everyone is in favor of the positive aspect of the Moral Foundations and opposed to the negative aspect. 

Trevin Wax notes that the addition of a sixth Moral Foundation--Liberty/Oppression builds on the Authority/Supervision Foundation to support liberty and oppose the tyranny of oppression. 

However, what's true of contemporary very conservative individuals in terms of the Moral Foundations? What has been the effect of former President Donald Trump on conservatives as well as the Republican Party? 

  

  

Is a Blue Texas Coming? The Decision to Vote or Not to Vote

 So, you’re questioning whether you want to vote or not. What’s involved in the decision? There are actually two questions: Will I vote? For whom or what will I vote?

I’ll consider the “Will I vote?” question first:

·   If you decide not to vote, you have given others the authority to make a decision that will affect you and the people you love. Your single vote will probably not determine the result of an election that involves a large number of voters; however, by not voting, you have made the votes of those who do participate more significant in determining the outcome of the election.

·   If you decide to vote, there are several questions to be answered:

o   Am I eligible to vote? What are the qualifications for voting in the election in which you are voting?

o   What type of election is it? There are several types of elections depending on your election jurisdiction. Each election may have different qualifications and conditions. Is it a referendum? Is it a primary election? Is it a recall election? Is it an election to approve a constitutional amendment? Is it a bond election?

o   How is the voting conducted? Can I vote by mail? If so, what is required to cast a ballot by mail? If so, when do I have to request my ballot? How can I submit the ballot by mail? When do I have to submit the ballot? When does the ballot have to be received? To whom do I address the ballot? If I made a mistake on the ballot, can I correct it? If so, how do I correct it?

o   When can I vote? Is in-person early voting available? What are the dates and hours for in-person early voting? Where can I vote early in person?

For Travis County, Texas, these are the answers:

·         To be eligible to vote:

o   You can register if you are 17 years and 10 months of age. However, you must be 18 years of age or older on Election Day for the election in which you desire to participate.   

o   You must be a United States citizen.

o   You must register in the county in which you reside.

o   If convicted of a felony, you must be “off papers” or your right to vote has been restored otherwise.

o   You must be mentally competent to vote, as ruled by a probate court with jurisdiction.

·    In addition, you must register to vote at least 30 days before the election in which you desire to participate. To register in Texas, you can complete a form online and present it to the county official responsible for voter registration. You can also complete a voter registration form with a deputy registrar of the county. The deputy registrar will turn in the completed form. You will receive a copy of the registrar’s form, which indicates that you are registered to vote. You can also go to the county official who is responsible for voter registration and complete the form.

·   What type of election do you desire to vote in? There are several types of elections in Texas. The general election is in November in even-numbered years. All other elections are special elections and may be held in November of odd-numbered years or in May of any year, which is when many municipalities hold their elections to elect city officials and get approval for municipal bonds. The November election date is the first Tuesday after the first Monday. The May election date is the first Saturday in May. Primary Elections are conducted by political parties to nominate their candidates for positions on the general election ballot. Primary elections are held on the first Tuesday in March. Runoff Elections are held when no candidate in an election receives at least fifty percent of the vote in the original election for certain local and primary elections. Runoff Elections are conducted on the Tuesday twelve weeks after the original election. The Texas governor can also call special elections to fill vacancies in certain offices.

·    In Texas, one can vote by mail or early vote by mail or in person. The rules for voting by mail are detailed and limited to registered voters with certain conditions. Early voting commences two weeks before the election. In-person early voting in Travis County is conducted at voting locations throughout the county. Registered voters can vote at any of the designated voting locations, not just in their voting precinct.

·   If you decide to vote either during in-person early voting or on Election Day, you will need to know where to vote, the Days and hours for voting, and what you must possess to vote.

o   The locations for early in-person voting vary by county in Texas. In Travis County, you can vote at any location specified by the County Clerk as an in-person early voting location.

o   The days and hours of early in-person voting also vary by county. Again, the County Clerk is the source. (Travis County Clerk (traviscountytx.gov)

o   Election Day voting times also vary by county. In Travis County, polling locations are specified by the County Clerk. Hours are 7 am to 7 pm. If you are in line to vote at 7 pm, you will be allowed to vote.

o   If you possess one of the following forms of acceptable photo ID, you must present it when voting in person:

•     Texas Driver License issued by the Texas Department of Public         Safety (DPS),
•      Texas Election Identification Certificate issued by DPS,
•      Texas Personal Identification Card issued by DPS,
•      Texas Handgun License issued by DPS,
•      United States Military Identification Card containing your                 photograph,
•      United States Citizenship Certificate containing your                       photograph,
•      United States Passport (book or card).
• Except for the U.S. Citizenship Certificate, which does not expire, for voters aged 18-69, the acceptable form of photo identification may expire no more than four years before being presented for voter qualification at the polling place. For voters       aged 70 or older, the acceptable form of photo identification may be expired for any length of time if the identification is otherwise valid.

Now, you know what information or documents are necessary before you vote. In the next post, we’ll consider what you must decide to cast a vote that is meaningful to you.