There has been a trend towards political pundits using the term “low information voters”; however, I am growing greatly concerned with the misuse of this term.
Low Information Voter
Low information voters, also known as LIVs or misinformation voters, are people who may vote, but who are generally poorly informed about politics. (Wikipedia)
I have heard this term used by many of talk show hosts, and frankly, they are misusing it or they don’t understand it.
This misuse of this term is going to have profound long-term and strategic down stream effects, if we don’t change course.
What is wrong with the term ‘Low Information Voter’? Simply, the misuse of the term promotes a wrong archetype of a voter.
This term creates a archetype of a ‘low information voter’ bumping around in the wilderness, stupid, and uneducated. This voter, if only educated with facts and figures, will suddenly wake up from their slumber, see the light, and become engaged voters.
This image, stereotype or archetype could not be further from the truth.
Rationally Ignorant Voters
I prefer the term Rationally Ignorant Voters (Downs) because I think this is a much better archetype. Only by understanding the ‘Rationally Ignorant Voter’ archetype can we develop proper communication strategies.
The difference? Rationally Ignorant Voters have made a decision either consciously or unconsciously not to invest their time and energy in politics. When weighed against everything else going on in their lives, politics is not worthy of the investment of increasing their political knowledge.
These voters are choosing to spend time elsewhere in places they find more valuable.
The archetype is NOT someone bumping along aimlessly lost in a forest. This voter can be a highly educated person, civic minded, grounded in principles and values, but for whatever personal reasons, just doesn’t care that much about politics. Or if they care, it is 28th on the list of things they care about.
The ‘Rationally Ignorant Voter’ is my beautiful, loving, and incredible wife.
Before the negative emails begin, I love my wife and she is far from ‘ignorant’; however, she is what I would consider a Rationally Ignorant Voter. I could also use my mother, my friends, or even the CEO of a start up I know, but I like living dangerously.
A few notes about my loving, beautiful, awesome wife: She has a graduate degree, works full time. She is an incredible mother of a 10 year old son and a 7 year old daughter. She is an fantastic wife to a man that acts like he is a teenager a lot of the time. She keeps one helluva clean house, coordinates schedules to get kids to Tae Kwon Do and ballet, etc. She has managed to harness chaos and have energy left over. She is the modern woman.
She is very interested in certain topics that are in the political world – mental health issues, child protection. However, past those issues, she is making a decision NOT to invest any additional time in politics. She thinks the rest of us are nuts.
Now, I live, breathe, eat politics and this practice blows my mind. However, when she starts talking to me about esoteric new treatment plans for x mental disorder, I suddenly understand. With everything going on in my life, I just can’t put that much energy into the DSM-IV.
What to do?
Understanding the difference in the two archetypes is essential to understanding how to communicate with these voters.
What the ‘Low Information Voter’ crowd is getting wrong is they think education with facts, figures, and stats are suddenly going to make a light go off.
WRONG.
You can throw all the education at my love wife you like, but just because you care about something doesn’t mean she will.
When you understand the Rationally Ignorant Voter archetype, you understand it is not facts and figures, it is caring.
It is NOT the rational side of the brain you have to activate.
It is the emotional side of the brain one must activate to get the attention of these voters.
Remember, they have made a decision NOT to invest time and energy in politics because it is a low priority in their everyday lives, and until you make them want to invest more time by triggering the emotional center of their brains , you will not break through.
To communicate with these voters, you must understand the values of my wife and communicate with her through these.
That is not done with boring “education”, it is done with contrast & conflict but that is another post.
But before that, please don’t believe that the simplistic “Low Information Voters” label is correct. It is wrong, misleading, and much more complicated.
