Political Parties Practice Test

Civil service reform, where hiring becomes merit-based, causing legislators to vote more uniformly because bureaucrats require party-line roll-call support.

Dealignment, where party labels lose meaning and voters increasingly reject parties, producing more independents and less consistent partisan voting in office.

Political polarization, where parties become more ideologically distinct and cross-party cooperation and overlap among elected officials declines over time.

One-party dominance, where elections are eliminated and a single party permanently controls offices without competition, making voting patterns irrelevant.

Bipartisanship, where parties converge ideologically and regularly vote together, reducing conflict and making party labels less predictive of roll-call votes.