The electorate are citizens who have the right to take part in elections at various levels. It does not matter where and when the election campaign takes place. The main thing is that it should be aimed at people who plan to tick the ballot.
Quantitative characteristics
Given that in Russia, as in most countries of the world, almost all citizens have the universal right to vote, it turns out that the electorate is the entire population over 18 years old. Another thing is that there is a passive and active electorate.
Passive electorate is the bulk of voters who poorly follow political and economic events, poorly versed in the peculiarities of political activity. In a word, politics as a social phenomenon does not represent any significant interest for them. But on the other hand, this category of the population actively responds to advertising, promotions and, in general, any form of promotion. It is subject to influence, and therefore, at the moment of electoral mobilization at the very peak of the election campaign, it is able to decide the outcome of the vote.
Active electorate - these are citizens who take an active social and political position, take part in public actions as far as possible, carry out agitation and propaganda work, organize actions of support or protest, that is, they are a stable support for their parties and politicians.
Quality characteristics
By nature, the electorate is a heterogeneous mass. There is a so-called "core of voters", which includes loyal supporters. They will never vote for a “foreign” candidate or party, they always stick to their positions with almost reinforced concrete and do not change them either over time or with a change in the political situation. In other words, if we compare the electorate, voters, and other participants in the political game, it turns out that the “core” is a kind of strategic minimum that will support both financially and propagandistically, and at rush hour will come to the polling station and vote correctly.
Besides, there is a second group of voters – the doubters. There is an influence here, but not significant. Rather, it is a question of assessing one's own well-being. If the policy pursued is in their interest, they will vote. If not, then stay at home. These are passive voters, however, sensitively perceiving and rationally evaluating the events taking place around them.
And, finally, the "swamp": the position of these voters is extremely unstable, changing depending on the direction of the political wind. Lack of civic position is compensatedgood commercial sense. Rarely are stably conducted election campaigns focused on them. To be honest, it doesn't make much sense: usually these people don't go to the polls at all.
Ideological differences
In addition, the ideological qualification of voters is applied: according to the number of supporters of one or another ideological direction, and hence the party organization. Allocate left voters, centrists, right, others. Their choice is a choice between parties of the same ideological direction. For example, someone who voted for the CDU-CSU on principle will never vote for the SPD as representatives of the left movement. He would rather choose liberals than agree to vote green.
The Russian electorate has not yet been formed. This is due not only to the fact that free elections are a new and unrooted thing, but also to the lack of a consolidated practice of traditional voting. Elections are the choice of a political defender of one's social interests, and this format of electoral campaigns in our country is rarely seen.
