The Political Process

  Work to get candidates elected to offices Political Party

  Two parties working together Bipartisan

  Prevents fraudulent voting (no one can vote in your place) Registration

  Believes that any choice they will make will have no effect Political Efficacy

  The process by which people gain their political attitudes and opinions Political Socialization

  Voluntary, because of a personal choice Membership qualifications for a political party

  Major: try to appeal to as many voters as possible  Minor: try to make major parties adopt their ideas Functions of major v. minor parties in America

  Both try to inform, inspire and activate the people with regard to public affairs Comparing political parties v. mass media

  Multiparty: composed of parties with special interests  One party: dictatorships Multi-party v. One- party Systems

  Developed because of conflicts about the Constitution created opposing viewpoints Reasons for a two-party system

  US citizens  Residents of a state  18 years old Universal requirements for voters

  26 th Amendment: increased voter turn out and then dropped…..voting age decreased to 18 years old  Presidential Elections: more people find it important to vote during these elections  Non-Voters: don’t vote due to illness, registration rules are burdensome, distrust of politics Voter Turnout

  Split-ticket voting: voting for candidates of more than one party  Increase in the number of independents. Factors leading to the weakening of party ID

  Gerrymandering: drawing electoral district lines to limit voting strength of a group  Literacy tests: given to minorities to deter them from voting  Poll tax: made voting a financial burden  White primaries: kept African Americans excluded 15 th Amendment Suffrage

  19 th Amendment: gave women the right to vote.  23 rd Amendment: gave DC voters the right to vote for president  24 th Amendment: banned poll taxes for voting  Voting Right Acts 1965: protects the rights of minority voters 20 th Century Suffrage

  Occupation: professional and business people & those with higher incomes -> Republican  Manual workers and low income groups - > Dem.  Education: college education -> Republican  Gender, Age: women -> Dem.  Men and women vote differently on abortion, healthcare, social matters and military. Factors Influencing Voter Ideology

  Religion/Ethnicity: Protestant -> Republican  Catholics and Jews -> Dem.  African-Americans -> Dem.  Latino – low voter turnout  Geography: North, East -> Dem.  South -> Republican  Family/Peers: people tend to vote similarly in terms of family and friend circles Factors continued…

  Issues/Candidates: candidates impression on voters has impact on how they vote  Issues sway voters emotionally and morally  Party: loyalty to a particular political party is the most significant indicator of how a person will vote Factors continued…

 Reasons for Youth Political Action Ways to Impact Actions They make up the largest voting bloc in the U.S. They could make a difference in the outcome of any election if they show up to vote They are most likely to speak out for what they believe in and take action Candidates could use social media to speak to young voters Candidates can speak out on issues that directly affect millennials (student loans, etc.) Education Young Voters

  Why should American youth become involved in politics and what can impact their participation?  How do various factors influence the formation of political ideology?  Age, education, gender, geography, media, occupation, peers, race, etc. Essay Prompts – Choose 1