Instructions:In this project, you will read candidate campaign websites for a study about political communication. The goal of this study is to understand how candidates present themselves to voters on their campaign websites. Your task is to read each webpage and identify the presence and frequency of certain language. The findings of this study will rely on the accuracy of the coding decisions that you make, so it is imperative that you read each and every webpage with care. Please adhere to the following general guidelines to ensure the integrity of the results:
• Always follow the coding schemes below to make your best judgements about content. • Work in a quiet space with no digital distractions (including phones, computers, or TV). • Work for no more than 2 consecutive hours at a time.
• Review these guidelines and coding criteria at the start of each work session and refer to them while working.
Coding criteria:
1. Mentions of candidates’ party identity
How many times does the candidate mention his or her party?
• Check the top page banner, bottom page footer, all body text, and logos.
• References may include full party names (Democrat/Republican) and abbreviations that a typical viewer would be expected to infer as a party reference, such as a (D) or (R) next to the candidate’s name. If the candidate is Republican, then ‘GOP’ counts as a party mention.
2. Bipartisan statements
How many bipartisan statements does the candidate make? A bipartisan statement is one that fits within any of the following criteria:
• A statement that indicates the candidate’s desire to transcend partisan politics. • A statement that calls for compromise or cooperation between the two parties. • A statement in which the candidate claims independence from his or her own party. Examples of bipartisan words or statements include, but are not limited to, the following:
• Find bipartisan solutions • Avoid partisan politics
• Take a middle-ground approach • I pledge to work across the aisle
• Proud of my reputation for working with legislators of both parties • I believe in progress over partisanship
• Partisan politics is hurting our state • Proud of my independent voting record
3. Clear ideological statements
How many clear ideological statements does the candidate make? An ideological statement is any word, reference, or phrase that sends a clear signal about the candidate’s values or
ideology. Such statements might make a clear statement about the candidate’s conservative or liberal ideology, but do not include statements about specific issue positions, which fall under section 6, below. Examples of clear ideological language include, but are not limited to, the following:
• For Republicans/Democrats to win back the majority, we must... • I will be a consistent conservative/liberal/progressive voice • Fight the tax-and-spend liberal agenda in Sacramento/Olympia • I will defend our conservative family values
4. Endorsements
If the website lists endorsements, how many of those endorsments convey conservative or liberal signals? Use the following two lists below to determine in which category an
endorsement belongs. If an endorsment does not fall into one the groups listed below, do not include it.
Conservative signal endorsements Liberal signal endorsements
Business associations Labor unions
Gun rights advocacy groups Gun control advocacy groups Anti-abortion advocacy groups Pro-choice advocacy groups
Law enforcement groups Environmental advocacy groups
Anti-tax organizations LGBTQ rights advocacy groups
Current/former Republican governors Current/former Democratic governors Current/former Republican U.S. Senators Current/former Democratic U.S. Senators Lower-level elected Republicans, if party is listed Lower-level elected Democrats, if party is listed State/local Republican party organizations State/local Democratic party organizations
5. Issue topics
How many ‘Democratic’ and ‘Republican’ issues does the candidate discuss? • Certain policy topics are considered to be ‘owned’ by each party.
• Count the number of total issues that the candidate discusses the fall into the
Republican column and the total number of issues that fall into the Democratic column, listed on the following page.
Republican issues Democratic issues
Government spending Minimum wage
Taxes Unions (friend of)
Business (friend of) Affirmative action
Death penalty Gun control
Religion/morality Civil rights/liberties
Immigration Education/schools
Terrorism Health care
Creationism Child care
Crime Other child-related issues
Drugs/Narcotics Social security
2nd Amendment Medicare/Medicaid
Veterans Welfare
Farming (friend of) Prescription drugs
Defense/military Women’s health
Pro-life Environment
6. Issue positions
For each Republican and Democratic-owned issue that the candidate discusses (as coded in the preceding section), what position does the candidate signal a position on that issue? Select one of the following choices for each issue:
• The candidate adopts a position congruent with his or her own party’s position. • The candidate adopts a vague or non-directional position.
• The candidate adopts a position congruent with the opposite party’s position.
To identify whether the candidate adopts a position congruent with his or her own party or congruent with the opposite party, consult the state Democratic and Republican party platforms. Use California state party platforms for candidates running in California and Washington state party platforms for candidates running in Washington. Platforms are available for download at the following sites:
• California Democratic Party: https://www.cadem.org/our-california/platform • California Republican Party: https://www.cagop.org/platform and bylaws • Washington Democratic Party: https://www.wa-democrats.org/about/documents • Washington Republican Party: https://wsrp.org/platform2016/