Old Question from studies in 1950, 1960, 1976, 1996: Is the US Voter uninformed or ignorant of issues and candidates. How does the American Voter select his vote for US President?
The premise discussed is can the electorate select the right candidate even when individuals can be uninformed in so many ways...whether the incumbent has power over troubles in an individuals life, whether the good works of an incumbent early in the presidency will be remembered, ability to see more than the here and now that troubles the individual, ability to see beyond past party affiliations or alliances, ability to see beyond campaign messages on TV or slams at campaign opponents.
what I get out of this article is that individuals can't really pick the right candidate for themselves and their own values or interests. However, it is not likely that a coin toss will produce better results. In the case of US Presidential Elections money spent in the final weeks of the campaign for TV ads will sway many voters. And many voters will decide their vote on stereotypes, or by campaign ads. The studies performed seem to point to enduring voter ignorance.
Article Sited "How smart is the American voter?
The electorate as a whole may be wiser and more rational than any individual."
By Larry M. Bartels November 3, 2008
Larry M. Bartels directs the Center for the Study of Democratic Politics at Princeton University's Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs. A longer version of this article appears in the current Wilson Quarterly.
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-oe-bartels3-2008nov03,0,2565169.story
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