The Median Voter Theory is a model that posits that if there are more voters at the one point of an ideological spectrum, politicians seeking popular approval in an election race will seek to appeal to those at the area of the spectrum that best represents the largest section of voters (usually near the middle). This is supposed to explain why in a two-party system, candidates often end up looking strikingly similar.

According to this theory, a candidate would label his or her opponent as "too far from center" while choosing a label for his or her own style that evokes values or emotions that will appeal to the largest section of voters. If a poll shows that a candidate is behind, that candidate may respond by attempting to become more like the opposition in order to gain more votes from the opponent's side of the spectrum.

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What Is Median Voter Theory?