Low voter turnout is a bad thing. Let’s get that out of the way immediately. … As a matter of principle, we would want everyone to vote, and to do so in an informed and reasoned way. But one type of nonvoter provides a silver lining in this otherwise gloomy […] Read more »
Meet the people who are still undecided on the last weekend of the election
In fewer than 100 hours, polls open across the country. In battleground Senate states, there is still a sizable percentage of the voting population that hasn’t yet decided for whom it plans to vote. Given that a number of these races are extremely close (Iowa, North Carolina) or the polling […] Read more »
The Party of Nonvoters
With just four days before the midterm elections, the spotlight understandably is focused on the estimated 40% of voting age adults who are expected to show up at the polls next Tuesday. There has been less attention on the much larger share who most probably will not. As in past […] Read more »
Don’t Overstate Voter Enthusiasm, Pollsters Warn
Polling has consistently shown this year that the groups most enthusiastic about voting skew Republican—men over age 50, tea-party supporters and seniors among them. It’s one of the signs, commentators have often said, that Tuesday night is going to be a good one for the GOP. But here’s a caution: […] Read more »
Tea Party Republicans Highly Motivated to Vote in Midterms
Although the Tea Party has not been as visible in this year’s midterm elections as it was in 2010, Tea Party Republicans have given more thought to this year’s elections and are much more motivated to vote than are non-Tea Party Republicans or other Americans. About one in four Americans […] Read more »
Questions and Possible Answers
After the obvious “Who’s going to control the Senate after this midterm election?” question, several more questions come up in most political conversations these days. One recurring inquiry focuses on the role of the Affordable Care Act, with many suggesting that it has faded as an issue in the eyes […] Read more »