Can politics really be an impediment to romance? When the birds are singing, the flowers blooming, and love is in the air, who really wants to think about saving the environment or ill-advised tax cuts? The answer is, quite a lot of people. Nearly three-quarters of people who responded to a Yahoo!Personals poll said that discussing politics on a first date was fine with them and barely half of the people interviewed said that they would date a person with opposing politics.

Of course, with the right person, even passionate disagreements about issues like welfare or immigration rights can be overcome. Just look at Republican governor Arnold Schwarzeneggers apparently happy marriage to Maria Shriver, the daughter of the powerful Democratic Kennedy clan. Although Shriver retains her Democratic party standing, she supported her husband throughout his gubernatorial campaign, prompting Arnie to tell his wife, I know how many votes I got today because of you, after his win.

This goes to illustrate an important point of inter-political romance: dont expect your lover to change parties for you. According to the Yahoo poll, more than 95% of Republicans and Democrats alike said that their political loyalties would not change because of the person they are dating.

Although there are success stories, cross-political love is becoming more difficult as the country becomes increasingly polarized on important issues. Democrats and Republicans are eyeing each other more warily today, and there seem to be fewer points of agreement. To survive, couples with divergent political beliefs need a lot of love and respect -and most of all, to be able to agree to disagree. If you cant accept that your partner will never come to believe in a smaller government or global warming, then your relationship is doomed.

Politics is an even more divisive issue than it was just a few years ago. To address this issue, some websites have started to cater specifically to people looking for love within their political party. For example, ConservativeSingles.com helps Republicans find love, where DemocraticMatch.com is an online meeting place for Progressives, Liberals, and Democrats.

No matter what your political tendencies are, many singles say that they most respect being active in your beliefs. A third of the people polled at the Yahoo!Personals site said that they would lose respect for potential lovers who dont bother to show up at the voting booth.