The explanation for congressional voting behavior that assumes members vote to please their colleagues is referred to as __________.

• A. representational
• B. conventional
• C. organizational
• D. attitudinal

Answer: (C)

Organizational voting explains why members cast their votes to please colleagues and maintain good standing within Congress. The idea is that legislators seek to curry favor with fellow members, gain support for committee assignments and leadership, and secure future influence by aligning with the preferences of their peers. This intra-Congress dynamic often drives roll-call choices even when they don’t perfectly reflect constituents’ views or a member’s personal ideology. In contrast, representational reasoning centers on back-home voters’ preferences, and attitudinal reasoning focuses on a member’s own beliefs, making organizational the best fit for the description.