What is informed voter?

This question is closely related to a classical debate that has existed since around the 1940's within the field of political science. Political scientists to this day still debate whether it is rational to vote. Even those who agree that it is rational to vote, still argue over the extent to which it is rational to inform yourself about politics. Hence, the answer among political scientists of what constitutes an "informed voter" may be debated among two camps.

Certainly, most would argue that an informed voter is one who choses a political candidate based on the candidate's policies rather than how one simply feels about the candidate. However, other political scientists see party identification as a cognitive "heuristic" or shortcut to determining who is the best candidate. They view this heuristic as a rational framework from which to chose a candidate since it will be a close approximation to where one stands on the policies. However, this presupposes that one has chosen their party identification based on where he or she stands on the issues. Although, research indicates that party identification remains pretty consistent among one's lifetime, it is often acquired before one reaches the age at which they can fully understand the issues.

With this being said, either camp would agree that an informed voter at least knows what party the candidate belongs to. However, most would argue that a truly informed candidate would also know the issues and where the candidate stood on the issues. Nonetheless, from a cost-benefit perspective, knowing all the issues and where a candidate stands may be a somewhat irrational activity.