Vote Choice: What factors influence how you vote?

Voters in the United States belong to different groups that often influence their vote choice. Political scientists and campaign managers study these groups and categorize constituents to predict vote choice. Sides and Vavreck on the "fundamentals" assert that all the variables apart of cultural decision-making will influence a large number of voters. The most common factors that influence voter choice are political party identification, social identification, candidate traits, proximity voting and issue voting. Candidates must leverage their campaigns using these variables to cater to voter choice.

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Party identification remains the biggest influence on voter choice, especially as polarization in the United States increases. Party identification underlies vote choice. Partisan attitudes can change, but it is unlikely during a campaign. Additionally, how we identify socially often influences our vote choice. This includes race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, age, geography, etc.

Ideally, voters should engage in proximity voting. Proximity voting is when voters evaluate candidates based on their values and policy positions. From there, voters would decide who to vote for based on which candidate aligns with their values the closest. However, proximity voting takes a large amount of time and effort. Voters must take the time to gather information on issues and candidates and evaluate their positions on issues. This can be complicated because candidates are not always open about their stances on issues.

Voting based on issues is also rare. For a constituent to practice issue voting, they must be aware of an issue and have a strong opinion on it. On top of this, they must know how the candidates stand on the issue and decide which candidate aligns closest with their opinion. Due to strong party identification and social identification variables, many voters shift their personal opinions on issues to align with a specific candidate or party. Many voters do this without knowing.

The strategy most commonly used by voters is evaluating candidate traits. This is an easier alternative to proximity and issue voting. In this strategy, constituents use assessments on a candidate's personality to decide if they want to vote for them. In recent years, we can see this strategy being used either positively or negatively. In the 2020 election, many people voted for Trump or against him because they approved or did not approve of his erratic personality.

Whether you recognize it or not, political candidates work hard through their campaigns to cater to your vote. They often promote the views of their political party, give stances on hot political issues and showcase their personality traits to get more attention and more votes. Each of the groups you identify with and the values you hold influence your vote choice. What strategy will you use to vote in 2024?