If a voter bases their decision on a candidate's past results, they are engaging in which voting model?

• A. Rational Choice Voting
• B. Prospective Voting
• C. Retrospective Voting
• D. Issue Voting

Answer: (C)

Retrospective voting is when a voter bases their choice on what a candidate has already accomplished in office. Voters assess the track record, looking at policy outcomes and whether past decisions produced positive results for the public. If the economy or other key measures improved under the incumbent, voters are likely to reward them; if outcomes were poor, they may punish them at the polls. This contrasts with prospective voting, which focuses on what a candidate promises to do in the future, and with rational choice and issue voting, which emphasize expected benefits, overall costs, or focusing on a single issue rather than the past performance.