Final answer:
A person casting their vote for Democratic candidates because they believe the policies will be beneficial to them is practicing prospective voting, a model of rational behavior based on personal ideology aligned with the chosen party's policies.
Step-by-step explanation:
A person voting for Democratic candidates based on the belief that the policies will be personally beneficial is engaging in what is called rational behavior. This approach to voting happens when citizens register for parties based on either position preference or socialization, indicating that they choose the candidate that aligns closest to their personal ideology. Since party identification serves not only as a voting cue but also to make a logical decision, this type of behavior fits within the model known as prospective voting.
Prospective voting implies that people vote for candidates they believe will benefit them or the country in the future, rather than purely out of loyalty to a party, which would be more associated with partisanship. By evaluating policies and predicting personal benefits, voters are using their understanding of parties' platforms to make a decision that they think is in their best interest.