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PREVIOUS STUDIES OF AMERICAN LEGISLATIVE BEHAVIOR SHOW LEGISLATORS SEEK TO MAXIMIZE CERTAIN "MIDDLE-RANGE" VALUES IN THEIR CHOICE-MAKING BEHAVIOR AND TO MINIMIZE OTHERS. USING DATA COLLECTED IN IOWA, THIS STUDY EXAMINES RANKINGS GIVEN TO SIX MIDDLE-RANGE VALUES: STATE INTERESTS, DISTRICT INTERESTS, LEGISLATORS' CONSCIENCE, GOVERNOR'S PREFERENCES, PARTIES, INTEREST GROUPS.

STATEWIDE SURVEYS FROM THE FIVE MOST RECENT PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARIES IN WISCONSIN ARE USED TO EXAMINE VOTING TRENDS OF INDEPENDENTS AND PARTY IDENTIFIERS IN WISCONSIN PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARIES. THE PRIMARY CONCERNS ARE THE EXTENT AND DIRECTION OF CROSSOVER VOTING, ELECTION-SPECIFIC FACTORS THAT EFFECT CROSSOVER VOTING, AND POSSIBLE INCONSISTENCY BETWEEN CROSSOVER VOTING AND FUTURE VOTE CHOICES.

USING DATA COLLECTED FROM STATE-WIDE SURVEYS FOR THE FOUR MOST RECENT PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARIES IN WISCONSIN, TOGETHER WITH DATA FROM THREE OTHER STATES FOR 1976 AND 1980, THIS STUDY EXAMINES (1) THE PREPONDERANCE OF PARTY-CONSISTENT, INDEPENDENT, AND CROSS-OVER VOTING; (2) THE PERCENTAGES OF VOTES GIVEN VARIOUS CANDIDATES FROM THESE TYPES OF VOTERS: AND (3) THE PROBABLE "WINNERS" IN THE FOUR WISCONSIN PRIMARIES UNDER DIFFERENT HYPOTHETICAL PARTICIPATION RULES.