Voting questions

[T'ai Chi]

Ok, I know votes by individuals 'count', I know that all too well having education in economics and statistics, so I'm not saying my vote doesn't count or anything like that.

But, my point is, how can an individual be informed truthfully about candidates' background and what they have to offer, given that millions of dollars are spent on emotional advertising which biases knowledge about the candidates?

Is there a positive relationship between $ spent on advertising for presidency and if the person got the presidency?

What are some of the types of research people do to get as informed as they can on candidates and issues before they vote?

 

[iain]

Ok, I know votes by individuals 'count', I know that all too well having education in economics and statistics, so I'm not saying my vote doesn't count or anything like that.

Your vote is hugely unlikely to count in the practical sense that if you voted differently or not at all, it is very unlikely it would make any difference to the final result.

How much your vote counts depends on where you live and, to a lesser extent, who you vote for.

If you live in a state which is strongly Democrat or Republican, a huge number of people would have to switch their votes to alter the final result from that state. If, however, you live in a state that could go either way, fewer people need to switch so your vote is worth more (and the candidates will pay you more attention and spend more money on you).

Also, of course, if you vote for a third part candidate, you are having the same effect on the result as if you hadn't voted at all.

(One way of looking at it is that non-proportional voting systems in the US and UK give a small number of voters more say in the result and the larger proportion of voters have very little say; as systems get more proportional, the say voters have over a result is spread more fairly.)

Is there a positive relationship between $ spent on advertising for presidency and if the person got the presidency?

The candidates obviously believe so, or they wouldn't spend the money. I think, though, that candidates and their teams probably over-estimate the effect their campaigns have on the final result (the illusion of control).