The Personal Vote in Canada

The Personal Vote in Canada

Description

Research Studies Volume 14 In the study we examine evidence, gathered from recent Canadian elections, of the existence and development of a personal vote—the tendency of citizens to base their voting decisions on characteristics of the incumbent candidate rather than on party or issues. It was argued in an earlier study that in some electoral systems—among them single-member district, plurality-rule systems—members of Parliament have a systematic incentive to develop bases of personal political support as opposed to party-based support (Cain et al. 1987). This incentive leads members to engage in activities other than those usually associated with the classical or textbook model of representation, such as the passing of laws, or the criticizing or questioning of government policy. instead they engage in direct activities within their constituencies that are aimed at developing a base of personal support. In single-member district systems, legislators may accordingly establish a reputation for responsiveness to constituent needs and demands by seeking out opportunities to serve constituents directly by soliciting and responding to constituent requests and by intervening on behalf of their electors in the bureaucratic operations of government. The earlier study yielded evidence that legislators in both the United States and Great Britain engaged extensively in constituency-oriented activities and that their actions had an impact on two areas: policy making (by shaping the policy-making institutions within the governments and by allowing members some independence from party leaders) and elections (by insulating incumbents from national electoral tides).

Source Publication

Representation, Integration and Political Parties in Canada

Source Editors/Authors

Herman Bakvis

Publication Date

1991

The Personal Vote in Canada

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