ELECTION CAMPAIGN TOURS IN CANADA

In: Political geography quarterly, Band 4, Heft 1, S. 47-54

Abstract

BECAUSE OF THE NATURE OF CANADIAN SOCIETY AND POLITICS AS WELL AS THE EFFECTS OF THE SINGLE-MEMBER PLURALITY ELECTORAL SYSTEM, SPATIAL CRITERIA MAY BE EXPECTED TO FIGURE PROMINENTLY IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF CAMPAIGN STRATEGY FOR NATIONAL ELECTIONS. THE MAJOR FOCUS OF CANADIAN ELECTION CAMPAIGNS, THE TOURS OF THE NATIONAL PARTY LEADERS, CAN BE CONSIDERED AS A SCARCE RESOURCE WHOSE ALLOCATION WILL BE DESIGNED TO TRY TO MAXIMIZE THE NUMBER OF SEATS WON BY A PARTY. AN ANALYSIS OF THE DISTRIBUTION OF THE CAMPAIGN VISITS BY PROVINCE AND CONSTITUENCY INDICATES THAT THERE IS SOME RELATIONSHIP WITH THE DISTRIBUTION OF CONSTITUENCIES THAT COULD BE CONSIDERED MARGINAL BASED ON PREVIOUS ELECTION RESULTS. HOWEVER, AT LEAST UNTIL RECENTLY, THE DISTORTING EFFECTS OF THE SINGLE-MEMBER PLURALITY ELECTORAL SYSTEM WERE NOT STRONG ENOUGH TO ENCOURAGE THE LARGEST PARTIES TO ADOPT HIGHLY REGIONALIZED CAMPAIGN STRATEGIES. NEVERTHELESS, THE RELEVANCE OF CAREFULLY DISTRIBUTING A LEADER'S CAMPAIGN VISITS IS SUGGESTED BY THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN VISITS AND CONSTITUENCY VOTING PATTERNS.