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What do voters do when they like a local candidate from another party?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 July 2017

André Blais*
Affiliation:
Université de Montréal
Jean-François Daoust*
Affiliation:
Université de Montréal
*
Department of Political Science, Université de Montréal, Pavillon Lionel-Groulx, 3150, rue Jean-Brillant, Montréal QC, H3 T 1N8, email: andre.blais@umontreal.ca
Department of Political Science, Université de Montréal, Pavillon Lionel-Groulx, 3150, rue Jean-Brillant, Montréal QC, H3 T 1N8, email: jean-francois.daoust@umontreal.ca

Abstract

We address two questions: How many voters particularly like a candidate from another party? And do these voters vote for their preferred party or their preferred candidate? We use the Making Electoral Democracy Work data for the 2015 Canadian federal election in three provinces (British Columbia, Ontario and Quebec). We find that one voter out of ten particularly liked a candidate from a party other than the one he or she preferred. For two out of five of such voters, the preference for the local candidate trumped the party preference.

Résumé

Nous répondons à deux questions: quelle proportion d’électeurs préfère un candidat local qui n'est pas de leur parti préféré? Et est-ce que ces électeurs votent pour le parti préféré ou le candidat? Nous utilisons les données du projet Making Electoral Democracy Work de l’élection fédérale canadienne de 2015 dans trois provinces (Colombie Britannique, Ontario et Québec). Les résultats démontrent qu'un électeur sur dix préfère un candidat local différent de son parti préféré. Par ce sous-groupe, deux électeurs sur cinq vont voter pour le candidat préféré au détriment du parti dans ce sous-groupe.

Type
Research Note
Copyright
Copyright © Canadian Political Science Association (l'Association canadienne de science politique) and/et la Société québécoise de science politique 2017 

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