ABSTRACT
This chapter demonstrates that a new party system—the sixth party system—emerged in the 1960s and has now existed for a quarter-century. Over the more than 200 years of US history, there have been dramatic changes in the patterns of electoral politics. As a result, the pattern is expected to be more consistent with the other micropatterns analyzed than was true for either general interest or protest. Besides looking at split-ticket voting, one can assess the relevance of partisanship by examining directly its relationship to the vote. Racial issues still sharply divided Republicans and Democrats. Voting turnout remained low by historical standards. The public's level of interest jumped sharply in the no-incumbent presidential race of 1960 from what it had been during the two Eisenhower elections. The chapter concludes by documenting a wide variety of changes that took place as the fifth party system ended and the sixth one began.
