Partisanship and Representation in Montana's 2018 Midterm Election

Abstract

The basis of this research is the 2018 Carroll College Exit Poll. I utilized the results of the exit poll as well as research previously done on the topic of partisanship to explore the relationship between state and federal representation and partisanship. The 2018 Carroll College Exit Poll was conducted in Montana in Lewis and Clark County, Billings, and Great Falls. Polling locations were selected at random. Voters were surveyed and asked eleven questions, two of which were utilized in my analysis. The questions pertinent to my research were, “How well does the state government in Helena represent the values of people in your community?” and “How well does the federal government in Washington, D.C. represent the values of your community?”. The research showed that the data suggests that there is a partisan divide in the way that individuals feel represented by their state and federal government among Montana voters in the areas polled. The issue of representation is not an issue of state versus federal but rather one of Republicans versus Democrats.