It is so wild to me that in the US it is phrased as party identification. That implies, that who you are voting for is a deep part of your identity.
In my country it is the ‘Sunday Question’, because people are asked ‘If an election would be happening on this sunday, who would you vote for?’ If you would ask people what party they identify with, the vastly majority would say ‘none of them’
If I want to identify with a party, I would join them as a member. I am voting for the guy/party, that would be the best fit in my opinion. That can be vastly different in federal, state or local elections. My election choice is not my identity. I don’t identify with a party.
I think it’s a sign of a healthy democracy if most people view politicians as servants of the people, rather than viewing themselves as serving the politicians. I have 20 choices, not 2, and I can certainly find candidates more closely aligned ideologically than most Americans can. Yet I would never say I “am” party such-and-such.
It is so wild to me that in the US it is phrased as party identification. That implies, that who you are voting for is a deep part of your identity.
In my country it is the ‘Sunday Question’, because people are asked ‘If an election would be happening on this sunday, who would you vote for?’ If you would ask people what party they identify with, the vastly majority would say ‘none of them’
If I want to identify with a party, I would join them as a member. I am voting for the guy/party, that would be the best fit in my opinion. That can be vastly different in federal, state or local elections. My election choice is not my identity. I don’t identify with a party.
I think it’s a sign of a healthy democracy if most people view politicians as servants of the people, rather than viewing themselves as serving the politicians. I have 20 choices, not 2, and I can certainly find candidates more closely aligned ideologically than most Americans can. Yet I would never say I “am” party such-and-such.