Where did the votes go? Reassessing American party realignments via vote transfers between major parties from 1860 to 2008

► In this study we re-evaluate realigning elections in the United States from 1860 to 2008. ► By using county level data we estimate vote transfers between major parties. ► We find that 1932 was the only election that exhibits all the characteristics of a critical election. ► We also find a lack of evidence for oscillations in partisan presidential vote choice. ► We finally find a lack of evidence for realignments in the most recent elections.