Dealignment, in political science, is a trend or process whereby a large portion of the electorate abandons its previous partisan affiliation, without developing a new one to replace it. It is contrasted with political realignment.
Many scholars argue that the trends in elections in the United States over the last several decades are best characterized as dealignment, evident in the portion of Americans identifying with a political party declining sharply between 1964 and 1976 from approximately 75 percent to 63 percent.[1] It is also believed the United Kingdom has become dealigned from social class over the past three decades.
Dealignment does not refer to an individual losing their party affiliation, but a widespread trend as many people formally abandon the party to which they had been previously tied. Essentially one ceases voting for the political candidates that are formally sponsored by that party.
Dealignment can be seen in the rise of independent candidates. In dealignment, unlike realignment, voters are not switching from one major party to another. They are abandoning all the dominant parties but not their democratic voice. Rather, they place their votes in independent candidates.[2]
- ^ Northpoth, Rusk. Partisan dealignment in the American electorate: Itemizing the deductions since 1964. American Political Science Review. pp. 522–537.
- ^ Muscato, Christopher. "Dealignment in Politics". Study.com. Retrieved 9 November 2021.