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The Apartisan American
Dealignment and the Transformation of Electoral Politics
- Russell J. Dalton - University of California, Irvine, USA
April 2012 | 240 pages | CQ Press
Party identification is often considered the most important concept in modern electoral research—yet Americans' party ties have eroded. Today, independents comprise the largest portion of voters, outnumbering either Democrats or Republicans. This provocative book sheds new light on the dealignment trend with the emergence of an independent voter Dalton is calling the Apartisan American. Utilizing 60 years of electoral surveys, Dalton's friendly and concise narrative shows students just who these apartisans are and how they're introducing new volatility into electoral politics, changing the calculus of electoral decision making, and altering the behavior of political parties. Dalton also shows the same dealignment trend happening in other established democracies. Understanding these apartisans is key to understanding the 2012 election as well as party and electoral politics into the future.
The Apartisan American
The Two Sides of the Dealignment Debate
Do Partisans Go to Heaven?
Mobilization and Democratic Citizenship
Becoming Active in Politics
Images of the Political Parties
Making Candidate Choices
Switchers, Splitters and Late Deciders
Dealignment in Comparative Perspective
Electoral Politics Past and Future