party discipline
Voting with leadership
Party discipline is the expectation that members of a political party vote in accordance with the party's official position rather than their individual judgment or constituents' preferences.
Strong party discipline means legislators reliably follow leadership directives; weak discipline allows more independent voting.
The bill passed because party discipline held firm.
Parliamentary systems typically enforce stricter party discipline than the U.S.
Congress, where members occasionally break ranks on contentious votes.
- voteFormal choice expression
- backbencherRank-and-file parliamentarian
- whipStrikes or aerates
- floor voteLegislators voting together formally
- toe the lineAdhere to standards
central committee · sanctions · expulsion · smoke-filled room · loyalty · peer influence · deselection · minority government · communism · collective responsibility · parliamentary procedure · political strategy · political factions · caucus · ideological purity · bloc · conformity · closed ranks
party disciplinefree vote
Uncoerced legislative ballot
defection · conscience vote · crossing the floor · crossing the aisle · dissent
party disciplinefactionalism
Division into opposing cliques
decentralization · individualism · coalition politics · anarchy · disorganization