ABSTRACT
This chapter introduces the goals and themes of the book. While we use the lens of the 2016 campaign to illustrate and examine the political psychology of voting, the book focuses on voters—how they use information to evaluate candidates and make their decisions, how they think and feel about politics, and how they do so within an information environment defined by campaigns. Without voting and voters, there is no democracy. Yet, many citizens choose not to vote nor take the time to fully learn about candidates and the issues of the day. So how is it that they arrive at a decision? This chapter outlines the basics of various theories about how voters decide and briefly sketches the concepts that will be explored in later chapters.
