Voters make their decisions based on several factors; however, cognitive dissonance and ego-involvement are two forces that work to keep voters’ choices consistent over time. Despite these internal pressures, there are times when a particular candidate has disappointed a voter to such an extent that the voter considers voting for a different candidate in the next election. 170 young voters were asked about their feelings of regret and their need for permission to change their minds and vote differently in a future election. Findings suggest that women and Democrats are more likely to need permission to change their votes than men and Republicans. Furthermore, there is a significant relationship between regret and desire to change one’s vote with the need for permission to do so on election day. Lastly, the importance of having that permission will affect a voter’s feelings of obligation to cast a ballot for the same party. Open ended responses explore the idea of obligation versus making a change in more detail. Findings suggest that correct messaging about the ability one has to change one’s mind and also being granted permission to vote differently may be an effective campaign messaging strategy.

选民根据几个因素做出决定；然而，认知失调和自我参与是两股力量，可以使选民的选择随着时间的推移保持一致。尽管存在这些内部压力，但有时某些候选人还是令选民失望，以至于该选民考虑在下一次选举中投票选举另一位候选人。向170名年轻选民询问了他们的遗憾感以及他们是否需要许可改变主意并在未来的选举中以不同的方式投票。调查结果表明，与男性和共和党人相比，女性和民主党人更可能需要获得许可才能更改其选票。此外，在选举日，遗憾与改变投票的愿望之间存在着重要的关系。最后，获得许可的重要性将影响选民为同一政党投票的义务感。开放式答复探讨了义务观念，而不是进行更详细的更改。研究结果表明，关于必须改变主意的能力的正确消息传递，以及被授予以不同方式投票的权限，可能是一种有效的竞选消息传递策略。