Talk:Median voter theory

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[edit] Confusing image

I think the image is confusing. What does y-axis mean (what kind of value)? Must point M exactly coincide with the peak? Is it important that the graph is so symmetrical?
What does "already won" mean? (I think some "gray" voters will vote for A or B too) --Y2y 11:12, 12 March 2007 (UTC) Y2y 11:59, 12 March 2007 (UTC)

The main issue with the image is that there are no "hard" values for the graph. The 'M' stands for median and by its very nature must be at the peak of the curve, which by its very nature must be symmetrical. The Y-axis is somewhat arbitrary and the X-axis represents increments of people, and goes from 0% to 50% towards the M.

"Already won" signifies the voters who have made up their minds, or decided to vote for a certain candidate who endorsed their opinion on the issue. The idea is that there are some people who will be extremists and others who are more middle of the road - say the issue at hand is the eradication of all apple trees. Some people will right away be for it (those maybe allergic to apples?) while others will right away be against it. Those are the starting points, the edges of the skirt of the graph. Others might need more convincing to make a decision. In such an idealized representation, one would think that the people with the most extreme views are very small in number, and that most people are indifferent or wavering on the topic. In this schematic Party A only has to approach the median - or water down their policy on the matter - to a much smaller degree than Party B.

Sorry, I can't get into too many details about the exactness of this type of graph, but hopefully this explanation will allow you to see it in a different light and reflect on its data. JesseRafe 02:01, 7 April 2007 (UTC)