Some quick thoughts on voting:
Economic theory today argues that voting occurs on instrumental and expressive grounds. Instrumental voting occurs when the voter thinks his or her actions will have an effect on the outcome of the election. So, people voting in (say) states in which the margin of victory was expected to be close may be doing so because they think that their vote will affect he outcome. (Even if this were to be the case, and this voter's caused the election to be decided by one vote, the vote would still not be decisive. An election like this would be decided in the courts.)
Expressive voting is another reason why people vote. This occurs when people vote, not to be decisive, but simply out of the satisfaction that is received by supporting one side or another, or identifying with one side or another. Voting in this case is an avenue through which one can express his or her personality. People vote because they enjoy it--it is a way to maximize one's preference function, whether or not you expect to be decisive. For them, the benefit received from voting, or identifying oneself as a voter, exceeds the cost.
Here is a short video from PBS of Gordon Tullock explaining why he does not vote.
In an article entitled "Pigskins and Politics," David Laband and his coauthors look at whether people who root for college football teams--an action they they consider "non-political expressiveness"--tend to be expressive voters as well. This study focuses on Auburn, where there is much non-political expressiveness directed toward the football team.
Finally, in another Auburn connection, AU economist Richard Ault discusses the economics of mass democracy in this 2005 talk.
Economic theory today argues that voting occurs on instrumental and expressive grounds. Instrumental voting occurs when the voter thinks his or her actions will have an effect on the outcome of the election. So, people voting in (say) states in which the margin of victory was expected to be close may be doing so because they think that their vote will affect he outcome. (Even if this were to be the case, and this voter's caused the election to be decided by one vote, the vote would still not be decisive. An election like this would be decided in the courts.)
Expressive voting is another reason why people vote. This occurs when people vote, not to be decisive, but simply out of the satisfaction that is received by supporting one side or another, or identifying with one side or another. Voting in this case is an avenue through which one can express his or her personality. People vote because they enjoy it--it is a way to maximize one's preference function, whether or not you expect to be decisive. For them, the benefit received from voting, or identifying oneself as a voter, exceeds the cost.
Here is a short video from PBS of Gordon Tullock explaining why he does not vote.
In an article entitled "Pigskins and Politics," David Laband and his coauthors look at whether people who root for college football teams--an action they they consider "non-political expressiveness"--tend to be expressive voters as well. This study focuses on Auburn, where there is much non-political expressiveness directed toward the football team.
Finally, in another Auburn connection, AU economist Richard Ault discusses the economics of mass democracy in this 2005 talk.
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