Vote Your District

Vote Your District is a political term often associated with the neo-Conservative movement within the United States' Republican Party, although members of all political affiliations are known to make use of it. The phrase is often presented as a "bait-and-switch" debate tactic in which elected officials are encouraged to vote with the will of their constituents often in opposition to their party affiliation.

Those using the phrase often use it in an attempt to color legislative discourse on an issue (such as Marriage Equality for same-sex couples) by making it look as if legislators who vote with their party are, by doing so, voting against the will of the people in their home district.

In strict interpretation, "Vote Your District" is a reminder that elected officials are supposed to be responsible to their constituents. Often, however, the call to "Vote Your District" becomes tied to a single issue and in such cases, is when it is most often used as a manipulation method. The latter usage has become dominant since the mid-1990s and is now used, almost exclusively, as code-language intended to:

1. Put pressure on legislators to break with their party in order to drive a wedge between elected officials and voters, or,
2. Mobilize a perceived majority sympathetic to the speaker's cause within an unfriendly legislator's home district.

In many circles, the usage of "Vote Your District" is seen as a political strategy to gain favor with specific demographics for the purpose of reaping greater political reward in future elections. It is a form of "Passing the Buck" without facing repercussion for overt manipulation or being seen as proponent of a potentially contentious piece of legislation.