People are also bound by their old habits. They will elect the same twits every time simply because they know them, not the challengers. Never mind that the challengers might do a lot better. People just don’t trust them. Also, in some parts of this country, the unions greatly influence how people vote.
And then, there are the lofty expectations. Some candidate proises the moon, and these voters are too stupid or too lazy to dig deeper. My favorite was an interview with one woman during the Presidential campaign who was going to vote for Obama because he was going to pay off her mortgage and her car. Sadly, even though her expectations are not coming to fruition, she may still support Obama anyway. She’s a true believer, and nothing is going to change her mind.
I agree, but I think ‘too lazy’ is the most important reason.