Voting patterns in the family

Red_Marauder

I have been thinking about this issue recently, and I wonder to what extent voters (younger voters in particular) stick to the voting patterns of their parents or elder relations.

I remember when I first voted, I voted for the Labour party because I was 18 and I thought it was the coolest, lefty option and none of my family support them. I also bought the Guardian I seem to remember.
Now that I'm a few years older, I have reverted to type and I'm afraid to say I vote exactly like everybody else in my family on almost every issue and election. It isn't deliberate, it's just how I happen to vote.

To what extent do "family votes" exist. I have frequently heard it said by candidates, that "there will be five votes for me in that house", or "don't bother canvassing there because they are all Labour, FG, etc".

I believe that family voting is a real issue in modern Irish elections. I know of one candidate who ran in the local elections for a party which her family did not traditionally vote for, and her dad and some other close relations told her they simply couldn't vote for that party as it wasn't how their family had ever voted. I guess it's a bit of a civil war relic.

Do you take your family's advice on elections? Do you know people who do?

BroomBurner

Red_Marauder wrote: »

Do you take your family's advice on elections? Do you know people who do?

No, I am adult enough to make up my own mind.

Nobody would have any effect on my political choices beyond the party I choose to vote for.

Anybody that follows their families' voting out of laziness and ignorance (not aimed at you OP) makes a mockery of the whole system.

nesf

I don't take my family's advice when it comes to voting. They do take mine though for some reason.

I do follow them in one sense, they instilled in me a great scepticism about politicians coupled with a realisation that we need to have some politicians so politics is about lesser evils not perfect choices and that's stayed with me to this day.

walrusgumble

This is surely the same in most countries, particularily ones which were dominated by the "Irish Electorial Machine"

Imagine how long time Republican's reacted to find their wimin voting for that lovely John F Kennedy lol. Wasn't Tony Blair's family traditional and paid up members of the Conservative Party (nice to see he left Conservative - Thatcherism notions behind when he joined the Unions and Labour:rolleyes:)

efb

I would say that, rather than blindly following our parents, alot to do is the values and beliefs that our parents have instilled in us, and those we have learned from them.

Not voting as your parents vote could be seen as "blindly voting" as voting as your parents did.

Being from a cross party family has allowed me to develop my own beliefs, but are influenced by those of my parents, as I wouldn't see as being unusual.

Time Magazine

As efb says, a lot of it has to do with your up-bringing.

There have been academic studies done on this (get lost if you want a reference at 1am, maybe later) and you're something like four times more likely to vote FG if your parents do. As bland as FG are, I don't think it's brainwashing/lack of coherently independent thought, but rather more a question of "values", the formation of which is probably based on your early years.

thebman

Well my father is a dedicated FF voter and I have had many heated discussions with him on the matter.

I refuse to vote for politicans because anyone tells me too. I'd rather vote for who I think will do the best job which at the moment I consider reforming Irish politics to be very important and that will be the point I bring up with any politician looking for my vote.

The whole national politician doing favors for locals to get votes is corruption in my books and needs to be eliminated. Do your job and stop getting Mary up the waiting list for some healthcare treatment. Maybe fix healthcare so there isn't a bloody massive waiting list.

Lockstep

nesf wrote: »

I don't take my family's advice when it comes to voting. They do take mine though for some reason.

I do follow them in one sense, they instilled in me a great scepticism about politicians coupled with a realisation that we need to have some politicians so politics is about lesser evils not perfect choices and that's stayed with me to this day.

This.

Both my parent's families are strongly Fianna Fáil (rural grassroots Fianna Fáil for my dad and urban Fianna Fáil for my ma)