Of the following statements, which one best describes voters' relationship with political parties?

• A. Voters are more attached to political parties today than they were a hundred years ago.
• B. Voters are less attached to political parties today than they were a hundred years ago.
• C. Voters are extremely knowledgeable about the platforms of the major parties.
• D. Voters have increased their loyalty to their political party in recent years.

Answer: (B)

Voters today are less attached to political parties than they were a hundred years ago. Over time, party identification has weakened as many voters identify as independents or split their tickets, and campaigns have shifted toward highlighting individual candidates and specific issues rather than strict party loyalty. This reflects a move toward a more candidate- and issue-centered politics, sometimes described as dealignment.

So the statement that best describes current voter-party relationships is that attachment has declined. The other options don’t fit because people aren’t generally more attached now, loyalty hasn’t increased recently, and most voters aren’t highly knowledgeable about party platforms.