The comparative study of split-ticket voting (vol 28, pg 1, 2009)

This Special Symposium issue is devoted to understanding why, when, and how often voters in different regions of the world engage in split-ticket voting, Taken together, the essays in this volume consider a range of common mechanisms for ticket splitting-strategic voting, policy balancing, necessary voting, and candidate-centered voting-sometimes arriving at divergent conclusions from the existing literature and from each other. To provide a broader frame for these contributions, here we offer a general definition of ticket splitting, examine the state of existing theory, consider the various methodological challenges that ticket-splitting poses for analysts, and reflect on the broader substantive implications of ticket-splitting for the quality and stability of democracy.