This paper reports part of the results from a three-stage panel study of the Fall 1976 presidential campaigns; 1,927 interviews were conducted in all, 594 occurring in the week prior to the election. Results indicated that voters did not change their voting intentions significantly during the fall campaigns; that they did change the certainty with…

This report examines the current status of minority voting rights covered by the special provisions of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. The special provisions prescribe added protection of minority voting rights in those jurisdictions where discrimination in voting has been most pervasive. The report explains the Voting Rights Act and discusses its…

Two court decisions regarding the right of secrecy of the tenure vote are analyzed: S. Simpson Gray v. Board of Higher Education, City of New York; and Dinnan, Blaubergs v. Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia. In Gray, the Court found that faculty members serving on tenure committees could not be required to divulge how they voted…

This paper explores various aspects of voting behavior among nearly 900 British Columbia voters in the 1979 Canadian federal election. Specifically, the paper examines the aggregate significance of strategic choice in a voting situation and identifies factors which increase or decrease an individual's disposition to act strategically. Strategic…

Presidential candidates in the United States tend to seek consensus rather than to try to discover new answers to problems and to convince voters that they should be elected to implement those answers. Reporters in the mass media emphasize objectivity and fairness in their reporting. This emphasis produces an intense interest in the…

The relationship between the media and public opinion concerning national elections is examined. Trends in public opinion and media emphasis were analyzed according to attention to political issues, ideological concepts, and party identification. A random sample of approximately 220 presidential election stories in the New York Times was taken for…

This study was part of a larger study examining the attitudes of various groups toward elections, campaigns, and a variety of issues. This portion of the study dealt with students, 336 of whom were interviewed. In addition, 40 questionnaires were randomly drawn from two groups of students--those who registered to vote and those who did not. The…

This short survey begins with a definition of the Mexican American and some of the questions asked by the general public about his culture and aims. It outlines the history of the United States' involvement with Mexico and explains the experience of the Mexican Americans after the end of the Mexican War in 1848. Their ethnic origins and the rich…

This report describes the elements necessary for successful school elections and outlines steps to predict voter reaction. Written primarily for school officials and local citizens' committees, the report analyzes the variables influencing voter turnout and behavior such as occupation, educational level, income, age, parents of school children,…

The California State Advisory Committee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights met on January 21-22, 1971, to discuss the political participation of Mexican Americans. This paper presents the committee's discussion and recommendations. Matters that are pertinent to the participation of Mexican Americans in the Political life of California are…

Over the last 20 years, a successful election campaign has come to depend in large part on successful use of the broadcast media. As a result, media experts are part of most politicians' teams, and their strategies help determine the results of the election. Usually, themes or "images" are more important than issues. The techniques of mass…

This research is based on more than 1,600 school district property tax elections in California from the mid-1950s to 1972. Population, housing, social, demographic, and economic information by school district was available. This large, comprehensive, and consistent data base permitted investigation of the choices of the electorate with respect to…

The empirical results suggest that the tax-price paid by the median voter for public goods is a fundamental factor in the determination of how much a community will elect to spend on education per pupil. Available from North-Holland Publishing Company, P.O. Box 211, Amsterdam, the Netherlands; $10.00 single copy. (Author)

Outlines strategies which have proven successful in developing, conducting, and passing tax referendum campaigns, with regard to collection of data, length of campaign, need for competent leadership, development of community and business support, and use of students, administrators, and school staff in conducting the campaign. (MB)