What Is Divided Government?

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The concept of divided government means that one political party can control the executive branch, the presidency, while another controls the legislative branch, congress. Divided government is primarily caused by voter turnout in presidential elections versus voter turnout in non-presidential elections. Presidential elections have a higher turnout of voters who vote for a single party while non-presidential elections have a significantly low voter turnout. “The majority of voters who turn out to the polls tend to be those who dislike the president 's new policies or are extremely politically engaged. Those who feel just okay about the government aren 't likely to show up at polls” (Rainer Benz). This stokes gridlock because neither side