Journal of Electoral Studies

Issues

Home Issues Backissues Volume 31, No.1 How Important Is the Identity of the Vice Presidential Candidate for Voters? An Analysis of the 2012 Presidential Election in Taiwan

How Important Is the Identity of the Vice Presidential Candidate for Voters? An Analysis of the 2012 Presidential Election in Taiwan

Chang-Chih Lin
2013 / 11
Volume 20, No.2

pp.73-102
10.6612/tjes.2013.20.02.73-102
Paper

Abstract

This paper focuses on voters' assessment of the role of the vice president and the effect of voter preference for vice presidential candidate (VPC) on voting in the presidential election. Taking the 2012 presidential election in Taiwan as an example, the paper uses individual-level data for analysis. The survey results show differences between voters' assessment of the constitutional role of the vice president and their actual voting behavior. Over 30% of respondents who believe that the vice president plays an important constitutional role do not take into account the VPC when voting in the presidential election. Moreover, voters' assessment of the presidential and vice presidential candidate can be divided into nine categories. The relationship between these categories and voting choice in the election demonstrates the following two hypotheses. First, the presidential candidate (PC) is a more important factor than the VPC in the presidential election, and, second, the VPC still has an effect on voters. The data shows that the effect of the voters' evaluation/preference of VPC on their voting choice is nontrivial and significant. Finally, the binary logit model shows a similar result for influence of the VPC on voting choice and furthermore indicates that the gap between the evaluations to the presidential and vice presidential candidates of the two major parties is a more important factor on voter choice than the specific evaluation toward a single candidate. In the model, the influence of the VPC does not fall away when we take into account the PC and has differential effect on blue-camp and green-camp supporters.

Keywords

vice presidential candidate

constitutional and electoral importance

electoral effect

voting choice