Jeff Jacoby Voting by Mail

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Jeff JacobyVoting by Mail

• Michael Milburn
• Psychology 335

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Jacobys Arguments

• People are ignorant, uninformed
• Democracy better if not everyone votes
• Public are like this because of personal failings

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Questions

• Why are people ignorant?
• Consider Attribution Theory
• Internal (personality) vs. External (situational)
  influences
• What are potential situational factors?
• Some possibilities
• Schools
• Access to information
• Economic opportunity
• Allowing/encouraging these people to vote might
  result in changing these policies that influence
  ignorance level
• To understand this requires a situational
  perspective on public opinion

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• Debate over current public policy issues reflects
  the same debate that has been occurring about the
  nature of the public for centuries
• A situational perspective on public opinion is
  crucial for understanding adequate responses to
  policy issues
• Colbert