Single-issue voters: Good for democracy?
PJ_Saluki
Posts: 1,006
Abortion; gay marriage; health care; tax cuts; defense; immigration; are people who vote solely on these issues (or any other single issue) good for democracy?
"Almost all those politicians took money from Enron, and there they are holding hearings. That's like O.J. Simpson getting in the Rae Carruth jury pool." -- Charles Barkley
Post edited by Unknown User on
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...are those who've helped us.
Right 'round the corner could be bigger than ourselves.
It's not a smart-ass response, but something that tends to get overlooked in discussion. Is how "good" a democracy is measured by voter turnout? Is "good" democracy defined by the freedom and ability to vote? Is a "good" democracy dependent on a well-informed and motivated population? Is it measured by the candidates? Etc.
Good question. I wasn't clear. Is picking one candidate based on his or her stance on a particular issue without concern for that candidate's stances on other issues lead to unintended consequences? Say single-issue voters choose a candidate who passes their litmus test, but then that candidate votes on other issues in ways that do not benefit that particular constituency, is that good?
For instance, imagine a voter in an industrial area casts his/her vote for a candidate who is pro-life or pro-gay marriage or something else because it's an important to them. That politician wins the election and then votes for a trade bill that ends up costing people in his/her district/state/nation jobs. The candidate stayed true to the single issue, but his/her vote on another issue ended up hurting the person who voted for him/her. Is that good for democracy.
Also, does voting for a politician on a single issue lead to less qualified people getting into office? Say a voter chooses a candidate who is strong and knowledgeable on environmental issues or who has strong beliefs on the Second Amendment, but has no clue about other issues. Does putting a person such as this into a position of power help out the people if that politician is simply a one-trick pony?
I ask because I watched Split: A Divided America and a woman said she would vote for a pro-life candidate even if it meant she lost her job.
Is this good for democracy?