A Changing Political System and Electoral Behavior: An Analysis of the 1989 Supplementary Election of the Legislative Yuan and the Election of the County Magistrate and the City Mayor

The first part is electoral participation-the relationship between the voter\'s social background and their party identification and its effect on the decision-making process of the voter. This takes into account the variables of socio-economic background, class, and group identification. The second part is voting behavior which encompasses: (1)reasons for voting and not voting (2) deciding how to vote and (3)voting orientation.

With the establishment of the first opposition party in 1985 in Taiwan, the election process has evolved into a two-party affair. This offered an excellent opportunity to observe how voters obtained their party image, how this image changed, and what influence it had on the voter. This project will also address these issues.

We used the multiple-stage sampling method which encompasses the principle of probabilities proportional to size (PPS), combined stratified sampling, and systematic sampling in order to take advantage of the distinct benefits derived from each method. In the design of the questionnaire, we used the structural questionnaire that included some open-ended questions concerning the voter\'s party image, view, and orientation.