Explanations for Split-Ticket Voting and Their Applications to Taiwan’s Election: A Case Study of the 2002 Elections for City Mayor and Councilors of Kaohsiung

Volume: 

8

Number: 

1

Published date: 

June, 2004

Authors: 

Ching-hsin Yu

Abstract: 

The study of the causes of voter’s split-ticket voting has gained its prominence following the increasingly emergence of divided governments in America. These literatures are having merits both in quality and quantity. This article firstly reviews the competing perspectives for the causes of voter's split-ticket voting. It also addresses the issue of cross-national applications of these perspectives. It indicates that, given the unique political institutions and party system, American literatures find themselves difficult applying to other countries. Redefining the relevant concepts and connotations become necessary. This article then takes the 2002 · survey data of the elections for city mayor and councilors of Kaohsiung as an example to study voter's split-ticket voting. In particular, owing to peculiar party system in Taiwan, it examines voter's split ticket voting based on individual party and the "pan-blue vs. pan-green" party coalition. It points out that, in Kaohsiung, party coalition model performs better in explaining voter's behavior than the traditional party label. Also, this case study shows that the direction of party identification, the strength of party identification, and voter's past voting patterns are significant for voter's split-ticket voting in both party coalitions. The significances of other factors, such as voter's age,voter's provincial origins, sense of check-and-balance are different when they are applying to different party coalitions. In the concluding remarks, this article summarizes the outcomes and limitations of this study. It also readdresses the importance to formulate a research agenda for the study of the causes of voter's split-ticket voting in Taiwan.

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