VALUES AND THE VOTE - LINKING ISSUE INTERPRETATIONS TO THE PROCESS OFCANDIDATE CHOICE

This study explores how ''moral'' issues interact with individuals' co ve values to influence the mental processes involved in choosing among candidates. Drawing upon three major domains of research - (1) constr uct activation and framing; (2) values and the self and (3) decision m aking - we examine how individuals interpret electoral issues and the influence of these evaluations on the process of electoral choice. The same research design was used with three subpopulations - military re servists, ROTC student members, and undergraduate students - expected to be differentially involved with two issues in the study, abortion a nd gays in the military. Subjects were presented simulated newspaper a rticles about an election contest and asked to make a candidate choice . Findings indicate that an individual's interpretation of issues - as either ethical or material in nature - is strongly related to differe nces in the type of decision-making strategy used, even after accounti ng for a variety of demographic, orientational, and issue importance v ariables.