How the online community votes (in the U.S.)

At least one can be sure, or almost sure, that people who read The Times online are online themselves.  On November 1st, only a week before the U.S. elections, Nielsen/Net Ratings published its findings of the political loyalties of online Americans.  36.6 per cent of U.S. adults online are Republican, 30.8 per cent are Democrats and 17.3 per cent are Independents.

There is an uncanny resemblance in these figures to current British polling figures for YouGov, the online polling organisation.  Their last poll gave 38 per cent support to the Conservatives, 32 per cent to Labour and 18 per cent to the Liberal Democrats.  I do not know what that would prove.  The big difference is that Independents in the U.S. do not have their own party, but in Britain the Lib Dems take up the Independent vote which might otherwise split in favour of Labour, probably by about two to one.

In American politics, these figures support the view that the Democrats need to pick up a majority among Independents to win elections.  This was also the message of the mid term elections themselves.  Moderate Democrats did particularly well, typified by Senator Lieberman, who held his seat as an Independent after losing the Connecticut primary.  He was one of several Democrats to win Senate seats on their appeal to Independents and, indeed to Republicans.  For once the Democrats got their strategy right.

All three of the leading candidates for the Presidency in 2008 come from the Senate, and all three are moderates.  Senator McCain is a moderate Republican, Senator Clinton and Senator Obama are moderate Democrats.  Can we be sure that both parties will choose moderates in the 2008 primaries?  If so, the nomination of Senator McCain would seem almost a certainty, but the Democrat race would be wide open.

The online community is as moderate as the nation, but it has its extremists.  Only 36.1 per cent of online adults describe themselves as “moderate”;  32.5 per cent describe themselves as “Conservative – Very Conservative”, but only 19.8 per cent say that they are “Liberal – Very Liberal”.

Comments

[John Charlesworth]

I find this report very useful. Online voting seems to be a distinct possibilit in the coming years: "Voting in your Pyjamas" as it has been called.

Whether or not it will prevent apathy and low turnout is another matter. But at least feedback, on major topics locally and nationally, is easier and hopefully will be much cheaper than opening Polling Stations.

[M. Rowe]

On line voting is wide open to corruption
and fraud as there is no paper trail.
Software is available to manipulate votes.
English people need to be well aware of these facts and totally resist getting rid of the Ballot Boxes. The media has a reponsibility to publicise these facts if
it supports Democracy.