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SAGE Journal Articles

SJ-userguide.pdf

Article 1: Abbe, O. G., Goodliffe, J., Herrnson, P. S., & Patterson, K. D. (2003, December). Agenda setting in congressional elections: The impact of issues and campaigns on voting behavior. Political Research Quarterly, 56(4), 419–430.

This article extends recent research on issue voting and campaign agenda setting to voting decisions in congressional elections. Using a unique data set from 1998, the authors study  the impact of campaign-specific variables on citizens’ voting decisions, while controlling for relevant attitudinal and demographic factors. The findings show that when a candidate and voter agree on what is the most important issue in the election, the voter is more likely to vote for that candidate if that candidate’s party “owns” the issue.

Questions to Consider:

1. What conditions are necessary for issue voting?

2. What theories link voting behaviors and issues?

3. What is the importance of an agenda in a campaign?

Learning Objective: 11.3 Discuss the factors that affect how people vote

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Article 2: Schill, D., & Krik, R. (2013, October). Courting the swing voter: ''Real time'' insights into the 2008 and 2012 U.S. presidential debates. American Behavioral Scientist, 58(4), 536–555.

This article reports the findings of an analysis of undecided swing state voters during the presidential debates of the 2008 and 2012 elections. The authors found that presidential debates are in fact capable of influencing undecided voters’ impressions of the candidates.

Questions to Consider:

1. What are the characteristics of an undecided voter?

2. What is the traditional campaign model and how do swing voters fit into that model?

3. What are the limitations of the authors’ study?

Learning Objective: 11.4 Summarize the role of campaigns in elections

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Article 3: Windett, J. H. (2014, July). Gendered campaign strategies in U.S. elections. American Politics Research, 42(4), 628–655.

This article discusses the impact of gender on gubernatorial and senate candidates’ issue prioritization. The author argues that women running for statewide office prefer to play against gender stereotypes in their issue priorities. Women will only run a gendered campaign in response to male candidates who do it first. 

Questions to Consider:

1. What are the two options that women generally have when framing their issues?

2. What is the author’s fundamental conclusion? Do gender and context matter?

Learning Objective: 11.3 Discuss the factors that affect how people vote

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CQ Researcher

Logic7eCh11-votingcontroversies.pdf

Jost, K. (2014, February). Voting controversies. CQ Researcher, 24(8), 169–192.

This article discusses election laws and voting procedures and how they have been a major source of controversy in the United States ever since the stunted recount in Florida that determined the outcome of the 2000 presidential contest. The author also focuses on the controversies with a Supreme Court decision in June to disable a major provision of the federal Voting Rights Act that required some states and localities with a history of discrimination to obtain permission from the government before instituting any change in voting procedures.

Questions to Consider:

1. What did the U.S. Supreme Court rule in Shelby County v. Holder?

2. Should states make registration and voting easier?

Learning Objective: 11.4 Summarize the role of campaigns in elections;