The Effect of Household Income on the Outcome of Gubernatorial Elections in the Midwest
Advisor(s)
Patrick Kearney; Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy
Discipline
Behavioral and Social Sciences
Start Date
21-4-2021 10:05 AM
End Date
21-4-2021 10:20 AM
Abstract
There are a variety of internal and external factors that can possibly affect the decision a voter makes on Election Day. The purpose of this research is to identify if there is a correlation between household income (among other variables) and gubernatorial elections in the Midwest, which could be useful for evaluating potential outcomes of an election in a given year. I collected data from the US census and state election commission websites and compiled it all into a format where I used the language “R” to analyze it.
R analyzed the election data and variables from 3 election cycles. My
research found that counties in the Midwest tend to vote more for Democratic candidates. Counties with more college educated individuals, fewer white people, and with higher-aged populations also tend to vote more liberally. My results are fairly consistent with past research, indicating that voting trends in the Midwest are similar to trends found at a national level
The Effect of Household Income on the Outcome of Gubernatorial Elections in the Midwest
There are a variety of internal and external factors that can possibly affect the decision a voter makes on Election Day. The purpose of this research is to identify if there is a correlation between household income (among other variables) and gubernatorial elections in the Midwest, which could be useful for evaluating potential outcomes of an election in a given year. I collected data from the US census and state election commission websites and compiled it all into a format where I used the language “R” to analyze it.
R analyzed the election data and variables from 3 election cycles. My
research found that counties in the Midwest tend to vote more for Democratic candidates. Counties with more college educated individuals, fewer white people, and with higher-aged populations also tend to vote more liberally. My results are fairly consistent with past research, indicating that voting trends in the Midwest are similar to trends found at a national level
