What factors make the members of Congress vote as they do?

Political party – particularly for contentious, ideological issues; for instance, gun control, school prayers, taxation, abortion

A party vote is where the majority of one party votes against the majority of the other party in Congress. Parties don’t have many carrots or sticks (threat of deselection) to encourage voting.

Carrots such as promotion to executive posts cease to be of significant importance as the voters select candidates in primary elections due to the separation of powers; where the legislature and the executive do not overlap.

HOUSE –Republicans voted 92% of the time for the Republican Party in 2013; unanimously 35% of the time

SENATE – Democrats voted 94% of the time for the Democrat Party; unanimously 52% of the time

Final passage of the American Taxpayer Relief Act, 2013; majority of Democrats voted yes whilst majority of Republicans voted no.

Personal belief – may vote on their own personal beliefs on contentious issues 

Most conservative Democratic House Representatives	Most liberal Republican House members
Colin Peterson Henry Cuellar Jason Altmire	Chris Gibson Walter Jones Robert Dold Justin Amash Frank LoBiondo Patrick Meehan Ileana Ros-Lehitnen Mike Fitzpatrick Chris Smith
Most conservative Democrat senators	Most liberal Republican senators
Joe Manchin Jon Tester	Susan Collins Lisa Murkowsi Dean Heller John Hoeven
Mark Pryor John Barrow	Richard Lugar Scott Brown

Constituents – the trustee model; delegate model, the mandate model.

The trustee model has the representative who has formal responsibility for the affairs of others, which is most used in Congress

Representation - who represents the electorate – resemblance model of representation and considers how representative legislators are in terms of race and gender

House and Senate members have a constitutional requirement to represent the people of the states that elected them

Locality rule – House members must reside in the congressional district they represent

Representatives will play an active part of the state they represent – would have lived, resided there, worked there

House members have to be especially careful about constituents’ views as they have to face electors every two years; stay in touch with state through communication methods

Constituents engage with members through party/town hall meetings; did one in Miami, in a bid to call the Republicans to fund DHS.

The Administration – members of the executive branch; cabinet members/heads of 15 executive departments keep in contact with Congress through communication to enhance votes to go a certain way

Persuasion of the executive branch should be regular, reciprocal and bipartisan. Those from the White House are willing to do favours in return to offer a two way street of mutual cooperation

For an administration to talk to only one party is a recipe for disaster; success is from bipartisan diplomacy

Pressure groups – direct contact with members as well as their staff meetings, phone calls

AIPAC, three day conference in 2015 where they send 535 pressure group members into Congress. 

NRA – campaigned for congressional staff during election time

Planned Parenthood – campaigning for women’s rights

Colleagues and staff – rely on members on how/what to vote on 

More senio0r members try to sway Congress freshmen; chairman of committees; majority/minority leaders