Single-issue voting refers to the process of supporting and voting for a candidate or party based on one specific issue as opposed to their overall platform. Single-issue voters vote “based on personal values, experiences and beliefs … even if they disagree with the candidate on other matters,” as described by the Council on American-Islamic Relations. These voters give away much of the people’s power to political parties.

A candidate or party can easily hide the extent of their platform behind a few magnified issues that will rally support while avoiding taking a stance on other controversial issues. Single-issue voting without fully educating oneself allows for parties and politicians to easily mislead their constituents, and condense election-determining power to a small group of moderate voters.

The median voter theorem in election analysis describes how candidates tend to take on more extreme stances when juggling multiple contentious issues as opposed to remaining moderate. When taking these more extreme positions, candidates desert their position as a majority preferred candidate and shift toward the appeal of large special interest groups, often made up of unwavering single-issue voters. This shift in focus leaves moderate voters with all the power to determine elections, and candidates who can no longer capture crucial battleground state votes needed to secure the Electoral College.

In the 2024 election, the issue of the economy was the most important issue at hand. According to the Pew Research Center, 81% of voters listed the economy as very important to their 2024 vote, while all other issues placed at 65% or below. The economy was a make or break issue for both candidates, but Trump was able to cater just enough to the median to sweep all seven battlegrounds, while Harris got stuck in the left lane. With a party of loud and proud loyalists and single-issue voters stealing her focus, she lost the moderates in the median.

On Election Day, while conducting an exit poll with Bowdoin College in Topsham, I encountered a single mother with her young son who agreed to fill out our exit poll. As she filled out the form she chatted with me, noting she voted for Trump, and writing down only one issue in the section on why she voted: “the economy.” Before moving on, she looked up at me again and said, “Hopefully soon I’ll be able to buy this guy his favorite cereal,” pointing to her son, “or even pump my gas without a second thought to the price.” She listed no other reasons for her vote and moved on with the poll.

Here’s the issue: Harris does care about single parents – she was raised by a single mom. She does care deeply about the economy, and so did her campaign. It’s not that her campaign doesn’t cater to that single parent or their desire for lower gas prices and affordable cereal. It’s like the median voter theorem says: in attempting to cater to as wide an audience as possible, Harris got trapped in the left wing and lost the median.

There is no single issue, because every issue is connected. This year’s highly controversial abortion rights issues trickle into health care, religious freedom and education. Immigration trickles into the housing crisis and the climate crisis. The war in the Middle East trickles into the climate crisis, and of course, into the ever-controversial economy.

Single-issue votes have a deep impact on every part of the candidate’s platform. Voters who turn a blind eye to their party as a whole are ignorant to the power and impact of their vote, and are recklessly exercising their most fundamental right as a citizen in this democracy.

Editor’s note: This op-ed was updated on Dec. 12.