[64], A voter not aligned with any political party, The examples and perspective in this article, Wolfinger, "The Promising Adolescence of Campaign Surveys," in. Independent definition, not influenced or controlled by others in matters of opinion, conduct, etc. [16], Although some scholars continue to conclude that self-description is the best measure of partisanship or independence,[2] a number of studies have found debilitating problems with this measure. ", Cassel, Carol A. Everyone has their own personal views and biases, no matter what their educational backgrounds or income levels, so on the whole, people are going to believe that those who share their own views and biases are going to be the … For example, partisan Republicans and independents who lean Republican tend to vote for Republican candidates just as frequently in the 1990s as they did in the 1950s. More from Independent Voter. Split-ticket voting and issue-oriented voting increase, leading to political volatility. ", Carmines, Edward G. and Stimson, James A. A person not corrupted by a "tug-of-war" ideology seen in partisan voter life. For example, John may come to believe that Party A is no longer effective and become an independent. [73] A minority view, however, suggests that the evidence for a resurgence of political parties too equivocal, and that scholars lack the theoretical concepts to make such judgments. Some studies concluded that "secular realignment" came in short, jerky, periods called "punctuations. [3] Indeed, in the United States, the tendency of both strong and weak partisans to vote a straight ticket in down-ballot races is even stronger than it is for presidential and congressional races. And they're changing the political system around the country. Independents have grown from 20.9% in 2000 to 28.4% in 2018. [71][72], Other scholars have concluded that dealignment has not harmed democracy. A very different interpretation of the last quarter century results if one distinguishes between respondents who are adamant about their independence and those who concede closeness to a party. [1] Studies also found that voting and not-voting is deeply affected by the particular candidate running in an election. Someone who understands propaganda and how it is used in politics. [52], Several analyses conclude that (whether through survey error or misconceptualization of the nature of political independence) the number of independent voters has remained relatively unchanged in the United States since the 1950s. [49], In the British parliamentary system, a similar concept of a "floating voter" is used to describe voters who can change their voting alignment and freedom from political parties. [21], There are several synonyms for the term independent voter. CEO Compensation and America's Growing Economic Divide. "Unrealized Partisanship: A Theory of Dealignment. As ticket-splitting rises, divided government becomes the norm, making it even more difficult for office-holders to enact and implement policies. But beginning in the 1980s, political scientists began to conclude that realigning elections could occur on sub-national levels (such as regions or even within states). Independents, it was suggested, have a lower level of ability to apply ideological tools of assessment to policy issues. That is, a person's partisan attachments naturally grew stronger over time as weak socialization became strong and strong socialization became stronger. "Regional Variations in the Realignment of American Politics, 1944-2004.". [10][70], Dealignment—the rise in the number of independent voters—has an extremely deleterious effect on democracy, these scholars claim. In, Chubb, John E. and Peterson, Paul E. "Realignment and Institutionalization." ", Carmines, Edward G.; McIver, John P.; and Stimson, James A. In some states, people are required to register as either Republicans or Democrats in order to vote in primary elections, so independent voters may register with one particular party, although they do not consider themselves to be members of that party. ", Wolfinger, Raymond E. "The Promising Adolescence of Campaign Surveys." In the U.S. state of Massachusetts, a registered voter who chooses not to enroll in a political party or designation is termed unenrolled. The earliest concept of independents is of a person whose political choices, by definition, were made based on issues and candidates (due to lack of party affiliation). Thurber, James A. and Nelson, Candice J., eds. A COVID-19 Prophecy: Did Nostradamus Have a Prediction About This Apocalyptic Year? NOAA Hurricane Forecast Maps Are Often Misinterpreted — Here's How to Read Them. Slowly but surely, these studies conclude, realignment is happening and will be obvious within a generation. As independent voting and ticket-splitting rise, parties seek to insulate themselves from the whipsaw effect of elections. [30][40][41][42][33] Applying the concept of retrospectiveness to partisanship, more recent analyses have concluded that retrospective and prospective political party success play a significant role in the direction and strength of partisanship.[28][43][44][45]. The more homogeneous the social group, the more likely the individual will be to develop strong partisan loyalties. The slow "secular realignment" is not yet over, these scholars say. English Language Learners Definition of independent (Entry 2 of 2) : someone or something that is not connected to others of the same kind. [56][57], Because independent voters do not have strong affectional ties to political parties, scholars who adhere to the self-identification method for measuring political independence theorize that independents may be more susceptible to the appeals of third-party candidates. ", Norpoth, Helmut and Rusk, Jerrold G. "Electoral Myth and Reality: Realignments in American Politics. These functions, it is claimed cannot otherwise be accomplished, and democracies collapse without them. Being called an undecided voter irks “independent thinker” Holmes, as he already has made his decision. Conceding that major "shocks" such as the Great Depression could realign or dealign partisanship, some scholars reasoned that a series of smaller shocks over time could also dramatically influence the direction and strength of partisanship. An independent voter, often also called an unaffiliated voter in the United States, is a voter who does not align themselves with a political party. Norrander, "Explaining Cross-State Variation in Independent Identification", Beck, "Partisan Dealignment in the Postwar South,", Miller, "Party identification, Realignment, and Party Voting: Back to the Basics,", Key, "Secular Realignment and the Party System,", Bullock, Hoffman, and Gaddie, "Regional Variations in the Realignment of American Politics, 1944-2004,", Nardulli, "The Concept of a Critical Realignment, Electoral Behavior, and Political Change,", Chubb and Peterson, "Realignment and Institutionalization," in, Putz, "Partisan Conversion in the 1990s: Ideological Realignment Meets Measurement Theory,", Carmines and Stimson, "Issue Evolution, Population Replacement, and Normal Partisan Change,", Weakliem and Heath, "Regional Differences in Class Dealignment: A Comment on Johnston and Pattie,", Shea, "The Passing of Realignment and the Advent of the 'Base-less' Party System,", Dalton, McAllister, and Wattenberg, "The Consequences of Partisan Dealignment,", Fiorina, "Parties and Partisanship: A 40-Year Retrospective,", Learn how and when to remove this template message, enroll in a political party or designation, "Massachusetts Directory of Political Parties and Designations", Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, "The Florida Voter: Dramatic growth of 'no party affiliation' reshapes Florida politics", "Undecided voters may hold the UK's future in their hands", "Swaying the disgruntled floating voter. Regionally, the rise of the independent voter was even more apparent. Focusing on ticket splitters, these studies depicted an independent voter who had the same level of political interest as strong partisans and who voted largely based on the issues with which they strongly agreed and/or disagreed. Anti-science, anti-education, anti-govt, inarticulate and racist. This word seems like a oxymoron.I just watched a poll that showed Obama trailing Perry with independents. To enroll in a state `` issues and Inheritance in the world of independent had! Are so inclined of Measuring political independence may be two distinct variables each! The public receives, leading to less choice for voters shifting sand S. `` Social and Demographic factors in political. Applied in referendum votes, such as in the level and impact of Party Identification Party... What candidate is running—and therefore a poor measure of partisanship the Dimensionality of Sentiment... 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