Editing Political realignment (section)

== Cultural issues ==
The major political parties in the United States have held the same name for over a century, yet there is no doubt that their values and intentions have changed. <ref>{{Cite journal |last=Highton |first=Benjamin |date=2020 |title=The Cultural Realignment of State White Electorates in the 21st Century |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/48694292 |journal=Political Behavior |volume=42 |issue=4 |pages=1319–1341 |doi=10.1007/s11109-019-09590-5 |jstor=48694292 |issn=0190-9320}}</ref> While realignment is caused by various reasons, one of the largest factors is cultural issues. The culture of a population is altered over time as technology advances, needs change, and values evolve. With this shift, a population's views and desires will also change, thus resulting in parties realigning to be relevant to present topics.

In recent years, the [[LGBTQ]] community has become a growing factor in politics around the world. Their increasing presence has created many important concerns that are more widespread and broadcast than they once would have been. These issues and concerns are acknowledged by political parties, thus creating small shifts and realignments. For example, in 2022, there were 315 bills introduced to various state legislatures across the United States that were found to be anti-LGBTQ. Out of these 315, 29 of them were signed into the state's law.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Shibboleth Authentication Request |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/3127116005 |access-date=2024-11-30 |website=login.canisius.idm.oclc.org| id={{ProQuest|3127116005}} }}</ref> These new laws will ultimately lead to public divergence and political realignment as parties support different values. This shows the reality of cultural changes (publicized LGBTQ presence) and its correlation to not only rights and politics, but the reality of political parties shifting to adhere to certain values and goals regarding a specific social issue. 

While further discussing evolving social issues and it's relation to party realignment, the growing issue of abortion has been found in relevancy to newly found party values. These values which differentiate between certain parties can be attributed to federal abortion policies, which have been altered, fought for, and lost, thus creating a mass social issue.<ref>{{Cite report |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/resrep42743 |title=Life After Roe: Supporting Women and Families Facing Unexpected Pregnancies |last=Orrell |first=Brent |date=2022 |publisher=American Enterprise Institute}}</ref> Since [[Roe v. Wade]], abortion has largely become a major aspect of US politics. Furthermore, the 2022 [[Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization]] case has sparked further issues in the US political scene, as it overturned the constitutional right of abortion that was granted from Roe v. Wade, in 1973.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Shibboleth Authentication Request |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/3086410535 |access-date=2024-12-02 |website=login.canisius.idm.oclc.org| id={{ProQuest|3086410535}} }}</ref> The issue of abortion, state restrictions, and overturning of federal funding for procedures has created a political uproar in the US. For example, many state legislatures, members of congress, and other politically powered members have created restrictions on insurance, funding, and the overall accessibility of having an abortion.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Shibboleth Authentication Request |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/3111683533 |access-date=2024-12-02 |website=login.canisius.idm.oclc.org| id={{ProQuest|3111683533}} }}</ref> These actions have created the movement of activists to fight for the right of abortion. Furthermore, this battle has caused political parties to acknowledge the cause, determine their stance, and realign overall.