Voting bloc
Encyclopedia
A voting bloc is a group of voters
that are so motivated by a specific concern or group of concerns that it helps determine how they vote in election
s. The 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 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 grow 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
.
Voting blocs have been observed in the Eurovision Song Contest
, with particular countries voting for their neighbors.
s, in which 48 of the 50 states
cast all their Electoral College votes to the candidate winning a plurality. This leads to a "triage
" strategy of presidential candidates aggressively trying to win narrow majorities in close swing state
s while avoiding campaigning in ones with a more certain outcome.
This system of block voting is also used in the UK by the Trades Union Congress
; in an irony of history, it was introduced in 1895 by supporters of the Liberal Party
to prevent or delay the establishment of the Labour Party
, and it took the Labour Party from 1900 until 1993 to remove it from its own structures.
Combined with a local form of malapportionment, a system of mandatory voting blocks was also used within several states in the United States, especially Georgia
in its county-unit system, to deny urban and minority populations equal representation until such systems were ruled unconstitutional in the 1960s with the Supreme Court
case of Gray v. Sanders
.
The single-party landslide result of these elections is very similar to the typical result in elections using the plurality-at-large voting
system.
Voting
Voting is a method for a group such as a meeting or an electorate to make a decision or express an opinion—often following discussions, debates, or election campaigns. It is often found in democracies and republics.- Reasons for voting :...
that are so motivated by a specific concern or group of concerns that it helps determine how they vote in election
Election
An election is a formal decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual to hold public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy operates since the 17th century. Elections may fill offices in the legislature, sometimes in the...
s. The divisions between voting blocs are known as cleavage
Cleavage (politics)
Cleavage in political science is a concept used in voting analysis and is the division of voters into voting blocs.The preliminary assumption is that voters don’t come in predefined groups of pros and cons for or against a certain subject. Ballot analysis assumes that voters opt for a certain...
. A voting bloc can be longstanding and institutionalized, such as support for business
Business
A business is an organization engaged in the trade of goods, services, or both to consumers. Businesses are predominant in capitalist economies, where most of them are privately owned and administered to earn profit to increase the wealth of their owners. Businesses may also be not-for-profit...
or labor
Trade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
, or it can be created from scratch as the result of the saliency of a new public issue, such as a war
War
War is a state of organized, armed, and often prolonged conflict carried on between states, nations, or other parties typified by extreme aggression, social disruption, and usually high mortality. War should be understood as an actual, intentional and widespread armed conflict between political...
or the potential resumption of a military draft. Ethnic group
Ethnic group
An ethnic group is a group of people whose members identify with each other, through a common heritage, often consisting of a common language, a common culture and/or an ideology that stresses common ancestry or endogamy...
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
Religious belief
Religious belief is a strong belief in a supernatural power or powers that control human destiny. Such a state may relate to the existence, characteristics and worship of a deity or deities, divine intervention in the universe and human life, or values and practices centered on the teachings of a...
s also play an important role. Voting blocs grow 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
Single-issue politics
Single-issue politics involves political campaigning or political support based on one essential policy area or idea.-Political expression:...
.
Voting blocs have been observed in the Eurovision Song Contest
Eurovision Song Contest
The Eurovision Song Contest is an annual competition held among active member countries of the European Broadcasting Union .Each member country submits a song to be performed on live television and then casts votes for the other countries' songs to determine the most popular song in the competition...
, with particular countries voting for their neighbors.
Voting as a block
The term block voting is also used to refer to the concept of voting as a block, a system of winner take all decision-making whereby the vote of an entire electoral unit is cast in line with the majority decision of that unit, discounting any contrary votes. The most prominent example of this is in United States presidential electionUnited States presidential election
Elections for President and Vice President of the United States are indirect elections in which voters cast ballots for a slate of electors of the U.S. Electoral College, who in turn directly elect the President and Vice President...
s, in which 48 of the 50 states
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
cast all their Electoral College votes to the candidate winning a plurality. This leads to a "triage
Triage (disambiguation)
Triage may refer to:* Triage, a process of prioritizing patients based on the severity of their condition so as to treat as many as possible when resources are insufficient for all to be treated immediately** Business Triage...
" strategy of presidential candidates aggressively trying to win narrow majorities in close swing state
Swing state
In United States presidential politics, a swing state is a state in which no single candidate or party has overwhelming support in securing that state's electoral college votes...
s while avoiding campaigning in ones with a more certain outcome.
This system of block voting is also used in the UK by the Trades Union Congress
Trades Union Congress
The Trades Union Congress is a national trade union centre, a federation of trade unions in the United Kingdom, representing the majority of trade unions...
; in an irony of history, it was introduced in 1895 by supporters of the Liberal Party
Liberal Party (UK)
The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...
to prevent or delay the establishment of the Labour Party
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
, and it took the Labour Party from 1900 until 1993 to remove it from its own structures.
Combined with a local form of malapportionment, a system of mandatory voting blocks was also used within several states in the United States, especially Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
in its county-unit system, to deny urban and minority populations equal representation until such systems were ruled unconstitutional in the 1960s with the Supreme Court
Supreme Court of the United States
The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest court in the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all state and federal courts, and original jurisdiction over a small range of cases...
case of Gray v. Sanders
Gray v. Sanders
Gray v. Sanders, 372 U.S. 368 , was a Supreme Court of the United States case dealing with equal representation in regard to the American election system and formulated the famous "one person, one vote" standard for legislative districting....
.
The single-party landslide result of these elections is very similar to the typical result in elections using the plurality-at-large voting
Plurality-at-large voting
Plurality-at-large voting is a non-proportional voting system for electing several representatives from a single multimember electoral district using a series of check boxes and tallying votes similar to a plurality election...
system.