In the Unit 4 lecture on elections, you learned about the median voter theorem. Describe the median voter theorem as it was explained in the lecture. Now, think about the political parties and leadership roles you learned about in Unit 5. How do political parties and congressional leaders change a legislator’s ability to be responsive to his or her district’s median voter? How might this affect the legislator’s ability to get reelected? Is it better for legislators to answer to party leadership or to the median voter? Why or why not?
I have answered the first question at length, and all I really need to answer the next few are reputable online sources to pull information from, which I have been trouble finding.
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I think you are expected to extrapolate your responses from the lectures and units you have read. Think about it. If the party leadership convinces the elected official to take a stand that is opposed to the interests of the voters in his/her district, will the voters be likely to re-elect that person? Or, can the office-holder convince the voters that their interest are being served with a position they might not immediately think is best? Which I better for the incumbent to do, side with his party or his voters/constituents when they don't agree with the party?
These questions test your knowledge and understanding of what was taught in Unit 5. Other online sources can't help you.
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