Voting bloc

Not to be confused withBlock voting.

For the formalization of the same concept insocial choice theory,seesolid coalition.

Avoting blocis a group ofvotersthat are strongly motivated by a specific common concern or group of concerns to the point that such specific concerns tend to dominate their voting patterns, causing them to vote together inelections.

Beliefnetidentifies 12 main religious blocs inAmerican politics,such as the "Religious Right",whose concerns are dominated byreligious and sociocultural issues;andAmerican Jews,who are identified as a "strong Democratic group" withliberalviews on economics and social issues.The result is that each of these groups votesen blocin elections. Bloc voting in the United States is particularly cohesiveamong Orthodox Jews.

Voting blocs can be defined by a host of other shared characteristics, including region, age, gender,education level,and even music choice.

See also

• Political alliance
• Political party
• Votebank