voting bloc

Examples of voting bloc in the following topics:

• Women vs. Men

  • In 1920, the Nineteenth Amendment to the Constitution gave women the right to vote and, today, women vote at similar rates to men.
  • Other approaches examine the question of the rationality of voting: does voting serve the self-interest of any given individual, and what are the interests or issues that might change someone's voting patterns?
  • In spite of this long-term institutional barrier to voting, women today vote at similar rates to men.
  • Women also do not generally vote as a bloc, and instead tend to be as diverse in their voting patterns as men.
  • Even when considering so-called "women's issues", such as reproductive choices and rights or equal pay legislation, women do not vote as a bloc.

• Hispanics as a Political Force

  • For example, in the 2010 midterm elections, in spite of general Republican victories, 60% of Hispanics voted Democratic, while only 38% voted Republican.
  • In comparison, the same study showed that in 2012, non-Hispanic whites were expected to constitute 73.4% of the national vote.
  • Non-Hispanic blacks were only expected to represent 12.2% of the national vote.
  • Hispanics are often classified as a unitary voting bloc, but there are differences in political preferences within this community.

• Additional Factors: Gender, Age, Religion, Race, and Ethnicity

  • Certain factors like age, gender, race, and religion help describe why people vote and who is more likely to vote.
  • This rise in youth vote is partly a result of voter registration and mobilization efforts by groups like Rock the Vote.
  • Although this group forms a substantial political bloc, only 49 percent of eligible Latino voters voted in the 2008 presidential election.
  • Candidates recognize that Latinos constitute a large and growing voting bloc and have begun campaigning in Spanish.
  • In 2008, 48 percent of Asian Americans turned out to vote.

• The Election of 1936

  • The presidential election of 1936 was the most lopsided U.S. presidential election in terms of electoral votes and the second biggest victory in terms of the popular vote.
  • In terms of the popular vote, it remained the biggest victory until Lyndon Johnson received more popular votes in 1964 (since the popular vote began to be recorded in 1824).  
  • Overall, Roosevelt received 93% of the primary vote, compared to 2% for Breckinridge.
  • He received 60.8% of the popular vote and 523 electoral votes.
  • The New Deal Coalition, initiated in 1932, solidified during the 1936 election, attracting one new critical voting bloc and even higher numbers of voters from the blocs formed four year earlier.

• Gender Inequality in Politics

  • Historically, this was even more true when women were neither considered full citizens, nor could not vote.
  • This section will trace the historical development of women achieving the right to vote and will then consider recent developments as women have achieved political power as representatives, in addition to being members of the voting public.
  • Before 1920, women did not have a national right to vote in the United States.
  • In other words, "women" are supposed to have certain political priorities (usually those having to do with children and education) that unite all women as a voting bloc, or a group of individuals who tend to vote in the same way.
  • For this reason, political strategists see the "female vote" as one to be won.

• Winning an Election: Majority, Plurality, and Proportional Representation

  • Common voting systems are majority rule, proportional representation, or plurality voting with a number of criteria for the winner.
  • A voting system contains rules for valid voting, and how votes are counted and aggregated to yield a final result.
  • Common voting systems are majority rule, proportional representation, or plurality voting with a number of variations and methods such as first-past-the-post or preferential voting.
  • Proportional representation is an alternative to voting systems based on single member districts or on bloc voting; these non-PR systems tend to produce disproportionate outcomes and to have a bias in favor of larger political groups.
  • Compare and contrast the voting systems of majority rule, proportional representation and plurality voting

• The 2012 Presidential Election

  • Requiring 270 electoral votes to win the election, Obama received 303 electoral votes, while Romney earned 206.
  • Census changed the apportionment of votes in the Electoral College, potentially changing the allocation of votes among swing states.
  • Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Nevada, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, and Washington gained votes.
  • For example, Florida and Iowa banned felons from voting, and various states shortened their voting periods, eliminating the option of early voting.
  • These measures were criticized as strategies to impede voter blocs, including college students, African Americans, and Latino Americas.

• Latinos

  • On average, Latino citizens continue to vote at significantly lower rates than non-Latino white voters.
  • Latino voters are a diverse group which include long-established Tejano and Californio, Puerto Rican and Chicano voters, as well as the Cuban-American community which makes up a large bloc of voters in Miami.
  • There are many potential approaches that can be taken to explain variations in voting rates.
  • Others examine the question of the rationality of voting: does voting serve the self-interest of any given individual, and what are the interests or issues that might change someone's voting patterns?
  • As such, people may live for many years in the US without being able to vote.

• Trade Blocs and Common Markets

  • A trade bloc is an agreement where regional barriers to trade are reduced or eliminated among the participating states.
  • The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) is an example of a formal trade bloc.
  • However, entering a trade bloc also strengthens ties between member parties.
  • For better or for worse, trade blocs are prevalent.
  • Since 1997, more than 50% of all world commerce was conducted under the auspices of regional trade blocs, such as NAFTA.

• The International Monetary Structure

  • The international monetary structure involves international institutions, regional trading blocs, private players, and national governments.
  • For example, the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), the Eurozone, Mercosur, and North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) are all examples of regional trade blocs, which are very important to the international monetary structure .
  • Because of the high involvement and voting power of the United States, the global economic ideology could effectively be transformed to match that of the U.S.
  • NAFTA, a free trade area between Canada, the U.S., and Mexico, is an example of the importance of regional trade blocs to the international monetary structure.