Congressional Party Defection in American History.

The article discusses the roll-call voting behavior of House and Senate members changing party affiliation during the course of their political careers. The behavioral consequences of party defections across the three two-party systems to learn how important differences in the political environment may have exerted different influences on the behavior of party switchers. The overall patterns of roll-call voting differ substantially across the three two-party systems. The assessment of the effect of party switches on voting behavior involves identifying those individuals who changed party affiliation at some time during their congressional careers.