It seems from the current political climate that partisanship is at an all-time high, but how can this be quantified? In this work, we investigate partisanship in the the U.S. Senate using methods previously used to study the U.S. House of Representatives. By comparing agreement both within and between parties, we create a network structure defined by vote records. An analysis of this network highlights the range of Senator behaviors and allows us to track changes in partisanship, both on the individual and party level, over decades of vote history.

Dr. Haley Yaple is an Associate Professor of Mathematics at Carthage College, in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Her research interests include applied dynamical systems, network science, and related topics accessible to undergraduates. Lately much of her time has been spent on pedagogy, working to adapt ideas about active and inquiry-based learning and mastery-based assessment to the applied math classroom.