Voting bloc

A voting bloc is a group of voters that are so motivated by a specific concern or group of concerns that it helps determine how they vote in elections. A voting bloc can be longstanding and institutionalized (such as support for business or labor) or it can be created from scratch as the result of the saliency of a new public issue (such as the war in Iraq or the potential resumption of a military draft.)

Racial and ethnic groups are sometimes considered to be voting blocs, but it is untrue to say that people from single ethnic groups vote in the same way, as economic status and religious beliefs also play an important role. Voting blocs grow and wane according to the development of issues and personalities. These blocs can often disappear and reappear with time and are not necessarily motivated by one single issue.