The Factors Influencing a Voter

There are various factors that influence how a voter will cast their choice in the U.S. elections. Party identification is the most top factor in a person's voting choice. Some voters are members of either the two majors political parties; the Democratic Party or the Republican Party. These party affiliations are usually determined by a person's influences from family, peers, media and the assessment of the candidates and the issues. Independents who are not affiliated with either party does not have a particular loyalty to any party. They vote mainly on the issues (Schmidt, Shelley, Bardes, 2011, p.193).

People in large cities with a population of 50,000 plus tend to vote for the Democratic Party. The rural areas and small towns with a population under 50,000 tend to vote for the Republican party (Schmidt, Shelley, Bardes, 2011, p.194). Why? Again this goes back to family.

In the past, a person with a college education is affiliate with the Republicans. That is no longer the case. Those with more than a bachelor's degree tend to vote Democratic. Those with only a higher school education tend to vote Republican (Schmidt, Shelley, Bardes, 2011, p.195)

But the higher a person's income the more likely the person is to vote Republican. Manual labors, factory workers, and union members are more likely to vote Democratic. In recent years, apparently there is a realignment where professionals such as doctors, attorneys, and college instructors vote Democratic. While small business owners, managers and corporate executives vote Republican (Schmidt, Shelley, Bardes, 2011, p.195)

Those who are religious regardless of their church affiliation tend to be Republican. Those who are not tend to be Democratic. An exception to the rule is ...

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...nted something different. They wanted a change from where the country was going. Apparently, they felt McCain was a bad choice. Therefore they endorsed Obama.

The New York Post appeared to endorse the McCain because they were satisfied with the direction of the country. They were satisfied with the campaign promises McCain said he would do. They felt McCain would be the ideal choice.

Works Cited

New York Post. (2008, September 8) Post endorses John McCain. Retrieved June 9, 2011, from http://www.nypost.com/p/news/opinion/editorials/item_S6iXH45stH6gujTk5rptKP/0

Schmidt, S., Shelley, M., Bardes, B. (2011). American government politics today 2010-2011 brief edition. Boston, MA: Cengage Learning

The Editors. (2008, October 13). The choice. The New Yorker. Retrieved June 9, 2001, from http://www.newyorker.com/talk/comment/2008/10/13/081013taco_talk_editors