Voting bloc: Difference between revisions
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A '''voting bloc''' is a group of [[voting|voters]] that are strongly motivated by a specific common concern or group of concerns to the point that such specific concerns tend to dominate their voting patterns, causing them to vote together in [[election]]s.<ref>http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bloc</ref> For example, [[Beliefnet]] identifies 12 main religious blocs in [[United States|American]] politics, including e.g. the "Religious Right", whose concerns are dominated by religious and sociocultural issues and "White Bread Protestants", who, while also conservative, tend to care more about economic issues.<ref>http://www.beliefnet.com/News/Politics/2004/10/The-Twelve-Tribes-Of-American-Politics.aspx</ref> The result is that each of these groups votes [http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/en_bloc en bloc] in elections. |
A '''voting bloc''' is a group of [[voting|voters]] that are strongly motivated by a specific common concern or group of concerns to the point that such specific concerns tend to dominate their voting patterns, causing them to vote together in [[election]]s.<ref>http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bloc</ref> For example, [[Beliefnet]] identifies 12 main religious blocs in [[United States|American]] politics, including e.g. the "Religious Right", whose concerns are dominated by religious and sociocultural issues and "White Bread Protestants", who, while also conservative, tend to care more about economic issues.<ref>http://www.beliefnet.com/News/Politics/2004/10/The-Twelve-Tribes-Of-American-Politics.aspx</ref> The result is that each of these groups votes [http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/en_bloc en bloc] in elections. |
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| ⚫ | Voting as a bloc can be an important tool for people with common issues they care about, for example [[minority|minorities]]. If a group of people can demonstrate its cohesion by voting consistently together as a bloc and able switch vote agilely as a group, in closely contested elections, even a minority group can gain considerable political power by becoming the deciding factor in an election. |
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However, voting as a bloc can also be considered fundamentally undemocratic as it hides the dissenting opinions that exist within the bloc. If applied by a majority subgroup instead of a minority, it effectively excludes the minority from participation. As an example, consider a university election where professors have 70% of the votes and students have 30%. If the students decide to get organized and vote in bloc, they can hold considerable power, as even a 21% - 49% split in the professor group can be countered by the 30% student bloc. If the students vote in bloc but the professors don't, the students essentially decide the outcome of the election. However, if the professors the next year decide to do the same and vote in bloc, the students' votes become meaningless as the 70% majority voting in bloc will always overrule the 30% minority opinion. This is why bloc voting is in many democratic contexts discouraged or even illegal. |
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| ⚫ | Voting as a bloc can be an important tool for people with common issues they care. If a group of people can demonstrate its cohesion by voting consistently together as a bloc and able switch vote agilely as a group, in closely contested elections, even a minority group can gain considerable political power by becoming the deciding factor in an election. |
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| ⚫ | Divisions between voting blocs are known as [[Cleavage (politics)|cleavage]]. A voting bloc can be longstanding and institutionalized, such as support for [[business]] or [[trade union|labor]], or it can be created from scratch as the result of the saliency of a new public issue, such as a [[war]] or the potential resumption of a [[military draft]]. [[Ethnic group]]s are sometimes considered to be voting blocs, but it is unwise to simply assume that a majority of a given ethnic group will vote in one particular way, as economic status and [[religious belief]]s also play an important role. Voting blocs wax and wane according to the development of issues and personalities. These blocs can often disappear and reappear with time and are not necessarily motivated by one [[single-issue politics|single issue]]. |
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==See also== |
==See also== |
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Revision as of 13:17, 20 July 2015
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (January 2012) |
A voting bloc is a group of voters that are strongly motivated by a specific common concern or group of concerns to the point that such specific concerns tend to dominate their voting patterns, causing them to vote together in elections.[1] For example, Beliefnet identifies 12 main religious blocs in American politics, including e.g. the "Religious Right", whose concerns are dominated by religious and sociocultural issues and "White Bread Protestants", who, while also conservative, tend to care more about economic issues.[2] The result is that each of these groups votes en bloc in elections.
Voting as a bloc can be an important tool for people with common issues they care about, for example minorities. If a group of people can demonstrate its cohesion by voting consistently together as a bloc and able switch vote agilely as a group, in closely contested elections, even a minority group can gain considerable political power by becoming the deciding factor in an election.
However, voting as a bloc can also be considered fundamentally undemocratic as it hides the dissenting opinions that exist within the bloc. If applied by a majority subgroup instead of a minority, it effectively excludes the minority from participation. As an example, consider a university election where professors have 70% of the votes and students have 30%. If the students decide to get organized and vote in bloc, they can hold considerable power, as even a 21% - 49% split in the professor group can be countered by the 30% student bloc. If the students vote in bloc but the professors don't, the students essentially decide the outcome of the election. However, if the professors the next year decide to do the same and vote in bloc, the students' votes become meaningless as the 70% majority voting in bloc will always overrule the 30% minority opinion. This is why bloc voting is in many democratic contexts discouraged or even illegal.
Divisions between voting blocs are known as cleavage. A voting bloc can be longstanding and institutionalized, such as support for business or labor, or it can be created from scratch as the result of the saliency of a new public issue, such as a war or the potential resumption of a military draft. Ethnic groups are sometimes considered to be voting blocs, but it is unwise to simply assume that a majority of a given ethnic group will vote in one particular way, as economic status and religious beliefs also play an important role. Voting blocs wax and wane according to the development of issues and personalities. These blocs can often disappear and reappear with time and are not necessarily motivated by one single issue.
See also
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