Document Type

Article

Publication Date

10-2008

Abstract

We demonstrate that direct democracy can affect the issues voters consider when evaluating presidential candidates. Priming theory assumes that some voters have latent attitudes or predispositions that can be primed to affect evaluations of political candidates. We demonstrate that: (1) state ballot measures on same sex marriage increased the salience of marriage as an issue that voters used when evaluating presidential candidates in 2004, particularly those voters less interested in the campaign and those likely to be less attentive to the issue prior to the election; and (2) that the printed issue (gay marriage) was a more important factor affecting candidate choice in states where marriage was on the ballot.

Publication Title

The Journal of Politics

Volume

70

Issue

4

First Page

1217

Last Page

1231

Required Publisher's Statement

The Journal of Politics / Volume 70 / Issue 04 / October 2008, pp 1217-1231
Copyright © Southern Political Science Association 2008
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S0022381608081164 (About DOI), Published online: 10 September 2008
Published by: Cambridge University Press on behalf of the Southern Political Science AssociationStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/30219495

Subjects - Topical (LCSH)

Direct democracy--United States; Priming (Psychology); Same-sex marriage--United States

Geographic Coverage

United States

Genre/Form

articles

Type

Text

Language

English

Format

application/pdf

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