Research Note: Measuring the Level and Direction of Split-ticket Voting at the 1979 and 1997 British General and Local Elections: a Survey-based Analysis

Only in 1979 and 1997 have British general elections coincided with the annual local government electoral contests. This research note uses both survey and aggregate data to provide new estimates of the extent of split-ticket voting in England at those two elections, and to compare similarities and differences between them. It appears that no fewer than one in six of those electors who voted for one of the three major parties in both contests made a different choice at national as opposed to local level. The fact that the proportion of those splitting their vote in this way was so similar in 1979 and 1997 may surprise those expecting the phenomenon to have grown as part of a general process of partisan dealignment. Rather it appears that changing patterns of contestation between 1979 and 1997, especially at local level, may be better able to account for those variations observed.     

Biases at the Ballot Box: How Multiple Forms of Voter Discrimination Impede the Descriptive and Substantive Representation of Ethnic Minority Groups

Political Behavior - Research shows that ethnic minority candidates often face an electoral penalty at the ballot box. In this study, we argue that this penalty depends on both candidate and voter...     

Making a dent in human trafficking: investigating the effects of social institutions and policies across 60 countries

Crime, Law and Social Change - Given the worldwide magnitude, pervasiveness and deleterious consequences of human trafficking (Roth, 45), a more comprehensive understanding of its underlying causes...