The Fundamental Voter by Aldrich, John H.; Bae, Suhyen; Sanders, Bailey K.;

American Electoral Democracy, 1952-2020

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Product details:

Publisher OUP USA
Date of Publication 24 July 2025

ISBN 9780197745496
Binding Paperback
No. of pages192 pages
Size 226x150x12 mm
Weight 272 g
Language English
Illustrations 45 b/w line drawings

Short description:

In The Fundamental Voter, John H. Aldrich, Suhyen Bae, and Bailey K. Sanders explain why the notion that we are divided into tribal loyalties is, at best, only partially correct, and discuss how the divisions rest on much more substantive politics than they once did. In the past, the American public based voting primarily on partisan loyalties; today they do so on five fundamental forces: party, ideology, issues, race, and economics. Since the 1980s, these fundamentals have grown increasingly important, such that voters are now sorted into two bitterly divided sides. Voters have come to deeply dislike the opposition, a state of affairs that threatens the peaceful progress of democratic politics in the United States.

Long description:

Why is American politics so intense and emotionally competitive today, and how did we get here? In The Fundamental Voter, John H. Aldrich, Suhyen Bae, and Bailey K. Sanders explain why the notion that we are divided into tribal loyalties is, at best, only partially correct, and discuss how the divisions rest on much more substantive politics than they once did.

In the 1950s and 1960s, the American public based voting primarily on partisan loyalties. Landslide presidential elections were once common, but over the last forty years, they have converged to very closely contested elections. Congressional elections were increasingly incumbent centered before 1984 and decreasingly so afterward. These changes reflect the changing nature of fundamental forces that shape the public's electoral opinions and voting behavior. From a single such fundamental, partisan identification, the electorate now rests on five fundamental forces: party, ideology, issues, race, and economics.

Since the 1980s, these fundamentals have grown increasingly important and increasingly aligned, such that voters are now sorted into two increasingly bitterly divided sides. Believing that the other side is on the wrong side of nearly everything of political relevance, voters, like officials, have come to deeply dislike the opposition, a state of affairs that threatens to undermine the stability of democratic institutions in the United States.

Recommended. Advanced undergraduates through faculty; professionals.

List of Tables
List of Figures
Chapter 1: A Fundamental Change in National Elections, 1952-2020
Chapter 2: The Fundamentals: What They Are and How Many Are There?
Chapter 3: The Fundamentals and the Vote, 1952-2020
Chapter 4: The Fundamentals Sort and Polarize the Electorate
Chapter 5: How Fundamentals Shape Evaluations of Candidates and Campaigns
Chapter 6: The Fundamentals: From Polarization to a Single Reinforced Cleavage
Chapter 7: Conclusion
References