Conceptualizing Municipal Elections: The Case of Toronto 2018

Abstract

Since Angus Campbell and colleagues first introduced the “levels of conceptualization” (LoC) framework as a measure of political sophistication, a number of scholars have applied the approach to subsequent American national elections. In this study, we present the first application of the LoC framework to a municipal election, and focus upon the 2018 Toronto mayoral race. After describing the method and data we use to adapt the framework to this new context, we replicate previous analyses, and find that LoC is related to local voter turnout and several measures of political sophistication. We then consider the question of whether major candidates were discussed at different LoC, and if their supporters view local politics at different LoC. We conclude by making the case that the LoC framework is helpful for resolving the debate over whether local politics are ideological or managerial in nature.

Are Municipal Politicians Ideological Moderates?

“…Municipal voters, focused on incumbent performance, racial affinity, or idiosyncratic local issues, may also dampen the role of ideology in municipal politics (Hajnal and Trounstine, 2014;Matthews, Michael McGregor and Stephenson, 2021;Oliver, 2012). However, both symbolic and policy ideology have been found to strongly predict vote choice, even in nonpartisan municipal elections, suggesting that ideology is by no means absent from voters' thinking when choosing municipal representatives, even in smaller municipalities (Holman and Lay, 2021;Lucas, McGregor and Bridgman, 2023;Lucas, 2024;Sances, 2018).…”