The Role of Voting Behavior in Electoral Outcomes

From lunch choices to leadership decisions, our voting behavior is shaped by many underlying factors. We may not always be aware of these factors or even the extent of their influence, but they certainly have a say in every vote we cast. Today, we will dig deeper into the voters’ psychology to explore exactly what influences voting behavior.

What Is Voting Behavior?

Voting behavior is a concept that seeks to understand the actions of voters during elections. At the heart, it’s about knowing how and why individuals or groups vote the way they do. By gaining comprehensive election analytics, political scientists and psychologists suggest we may be able to predict electoral outcomes.

More than predicting results, your organization can consider members’ voting or electoral behavior and factor it into the way you run elections. 

Factors That Influence Voting Behavior

Individual electoral behavior can be influenced by several factors.

Voter Background

The greatest determinant of voting behavior is background. Background means more than just how we were raised or our values. It also examines factors like gender and income level. Simply put, it’s everything that shapes us as individual voters.

Other background factors that can affect voters’ behavior include:

• Age
• Location
• Family
• Education
• Beliefs

Candidate Impression

The way we perceive people, whether true or not, can influence how we cast our votes. Of two candidates who are equally qualified, one who has been in the organization longer and made a stronger impression might have an edge. Our perception of a candidate’s character, values, and what others say about them can make all the difference. 

Access

Another factor that can influence voter behavior is access. The level of ease associated with the voting process can significantly affect voter turnout. If members have easy access to voting, chances are high that they will vote. However, if voting is not seamless, it can demotivate members from participating.

Organizations should invest in easy-to-use voting solutions that make voting accessible for all members. For example, instead of leaning heavily into on-site voting, an organization can use a hybrid or online voting system that allows voters to cast their votes from anywhere.

Common Voting Behavior Models

Voter influences are expressed through what we call voting behavior models. Here are the four most common ones. 

Rational-Choice Voting

Rational-choice voting is a model that suggests voters choose a candidate based on their own interests. Voters following this approach will pick a candidate they feel is most likely to serve their needs. Think of it as a cost-benefit model. Rational-choice voters consider the policies the candidate favors and their eventual effect on them individually. 

For example, consider a homeowners association presidential candidate who doesn’t favor leasing a home to multiple tenants. A voter interested in renting the rooms in their home may not vote for this candidate because the candidate’s policy doesn’t align with their interests.

Retrospective Voting

Retrospective voters look to the past to inform their voting decisions. They consider what a candidate has already achieved and argue that the same candidate can continue to produce results in the future. These voters tend to favor rerunning candidates or incumbents who used their term to resolve critical issues.

Retrospective voting encourages candidate accountability. Instead of simply offering loyalty, retrospective voters demand results. 

Prospective Voting

Prospective voters consider the changes an electoral candidate may bring in the future. Unlike the retrospective approach, which relies on past evaluation, prospective voting relies on future expectations. Voters with this mindset assess a candidate’s policies and make decisions based on the level of impact they will have if implemented. Prospective voters are often looking for innovative yet realistic solutions to current problems that affect the majority.

Party-Line Voting

Party-line voters vote in line with their party. They don’t necessarily consider what their party or candidate of choice has achieved or their specific promises for the future. Instead, they vote based on loyalty. 

Party-line voting, especially in nongovernmental settings, often develops due to personal relationships. This type of behavior doesn’t encourage candidate accountability or promote solutions. 

How to Influence Voter Turnout

Your organization can take a few steps to appeal to members’ voting behaviors and encourage participation in elections: 

• Tackle issues that matter: Make it your mission to deal with issues that truly affect members. Don’t only invite them to vote. Show them how their vote can influence genuine change within the organization.
• Be relatable: Human beings are notoriously biased. They will likely vote if they can identify with the change you are trying to make, so draw a connecting line between the reason for voting and how it affects them. Establish real commonalities that show relatability.
• Uphold Integrity: Whether it’s a PTA secretary or board chairperson election, maintain transparency. Ensure voters know when and how to vote, why you and your team nominated those particular candidates, and how you will calculate the votes.

Boost Accessibility and Maintain Efficiency in Your Next Election

To ensure a successful election, accessibility for all members is essential. At Survey & Ballot Systems (SBS), we offer premium voting solutions designed to accommodate the unique demands of your organization. Our online voting solutions allow you to host elections regardless of voters’ geographical locations. Contact us today to learn more.