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"When survey research, statistics, and electronic data processing were first introduced, they held out promise that a new level of political knowledge would be created. Applied to the study of voting behavior, survey research promised an understanding of the factors determining the outcome of an election, that political history could be based on rich and current data, and that we could begin to understand the role of elections in constitutional democracy. The truth as Peter B. Natchez shows, is that despite the opportunity provided by this revolution, voting studies have failed to make significant contributions to democratic theory or political history. The findings of voting studies have spread from the universities into the political system with a rather grim message. In its simplest form the message is this: the electorate does not measure up to the task thrust upon it by democracy. The studies conclude that voters choose candidates for reasons having little relevance to the success of the political system, and little relevance even to politics. Thus political science, in shifting from an optimistic focus on theory to a strong emphasis on empiricism, became a source of pessimism. One cannot study democracy or the democratic process without a point of view on democracy. The scientific method requires a point of view: science is not only a method for discovering reality, but for addressing well-structured questions. Natchez identifies goals for democracy, freedom and tolerance, and consciousness in decision making. Elections serve two functions; one, filling constitutional offices, and two, a symbolic function rooted in democratic experience that is more ambiguous, but no less vital as a part of regime analysis. A political science that connects these two aspects of voting will require an analysis of why voters vote the way they do to fill offices; but, more importantly, it will also require an understanding of the symbolic function of elections."--Provided by publisher

'Voters and Voting in Context' investigates the role of context in affecting political opinion formation and voting behaviour. Building on a model of contextual effects on individual-level voter behaviour, the chapters of this volume explore contextual effects in Germany in the early twenty-first century. The volume draws upon manifold combinations of individual and contextual information gathered in the German Longitudinal Election Study (GLES) framework and employ advanced methods.

Cover ; Contents; List of Illustrations ; Foreword ; Preface ; 1 -- Measuring Voting Behaviour and Attitudes ; 2 -- A Historical Overview of Election Studies in India ; 3 -- The Multiple Methods of Measuring Voting Choices ; 4 -- Importance of Scientific Sampling in Election Survey ; 5 -- Questionnaire, an Important Tool for Collecting Information ; 6 -- Fieldwork and Data Collection ; 7 -- Analyzing Data and Reporting Survey Findings ; 8 -- Limitations and Emerging Challenges ; References ; Index ; About the Authors.

THE PARADOX OF VOTING PRESENTED IN ARROW'S THEOREM HAS HARDLY ANY APPLICATION TO VOTING IN THE REAL WORLD. IN INTRODUCING HIS THEOREM, ARROW SAYS SPECIFICALLY THAT IT DOES NOT APPLY IN THOSE CASES IN WHICH INDIVIDUALS DO NOT VOTE ACCORDING TO THEIR ELEMENTARY PREFERENCES BUT ACCEPT PAYMENT OF SOME SORT TO VOTE AGAINST THEIR TRUE INCLINATIONS. SINCE LOG-ROLLING IS COMMON IN MOST DEMOCRATIC LEGISLATURES, THE THEOREM DOES NOT APPLY.

By reviewing the theoretical models that Paul F. Lazarsfeld used to guide his voting studies of the US electorate, & cumulative empirical findings that resulted from his research program, this article presents an example of how the study of social life can become a more cumulative empirical social science. Findings from studies of voting & social influence are organized by the psychological mechanisms & social variables affecting voting choices -- political predisposition, media exposure to campaign issues, interest in the campaign, & influence through opinion leaders. Statistical reanalysis reestablishes the importance of mass media exposure & political predisposition as determinants of high interest & participation, at least for the positive campaigns Lazarsfeld studied. 2 Tables, 46 References. Adapted from the source document.