Elite Political Ignorance: Law, Data, and the Representation of (Mis) Perceived Electorates

摘要: The problem of voter ignorance has received sustained attention from generations of political scientists, policyrnakers, law professors, and judges.'The converse problem-political elites' ignorance about the preferences of voters-has been largely ignored. Indeed, the very idea of elite political ignorance may seem oxymoronic. Don't politicians, campaign consultants, and party leaders specialize in learning about voter preferences? Don't elections cull the slow learners from the herd? No doubt this is true to some extent. Yet the available evidence suggests that political elites have found it hard to learn what they would like to know about citizens' political preferences.