The Image and the Vote: The Effect of Candidate Presentation on Voter Preference

It is generally assumed that a political candidate's appearance and style have an impact on voters and the choices they make on election day. Little research, however, has been done to investigate this claim. Here, the authors examine the role that these nonverbal aspects of candidate presentation play in the process of political communication. In the course of two related studies, the impact of candidate photographs appearing on campaign flyers is assessed. The results suggest that these photographs influence voters' perceptions of a candidate and this significantly affects their vote.