Growing and distinct: The Unaffiliated voter as unmoored voter

J. Michael Bitzer, Christopher A. Cooper, Whitney Ross Manzo and Susan Roberts

Social Science Quarterly, 2022, vol. 103, issue 7, 1587-1601

Abstract: Objective We examine the size, characteristics, and attitudes of Unaffiliated party registrants as they compare to registrants from the two major parties. Methods We analyze voter registration files, voter history files, and public opinion data from North Carolina. Results Unaffiliated registrants are not simply shadow partisans but, on average, are distinct from two major parties in terms of demographics, political behavior, and political attitudes. Conclusion Voters who eschew party labels are best understood as unmoored voters—often hovering close to their ideological docks but with no institutional constraint to keep them from drifting as the political tides shift.

Date: 2022
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