1. Political parties
5.3

2. Types of voting behavior

3. Rational choice
We vote for the candidate that will do the most for us personally.

4. retrospective
Retrospective voting refers to voting made after taking into consideration factors like the performance of a political party, an officeholder, and/or the administration. It presumes that people are more concerned with policy outcomes than policy instruments.

5. prosepctive
If the voter believes that the country has done poorly, he or she votes for the opposition party. Other scholars argue that Americans engage in prospective voting, which is voting with an eye to the future. People vote for the candidates that they believe will do the most to help the country in the next few years.

6. Party line
 is a vote in which a substantial majority of members of a political party vote the same way (usually in opposition to the other political party(ies) whose members vote the opposite way).

7. What is a political party
Group of citizens who organize to
Win elections
Hold public office
Operate the government
Determine public policy

8. Levels of American political parties
Party in the electorate
Individuals who identify with one of the political parties
Party organization
National leaders, state and local chairpersons
Raise money, organize campaigns, and conventions
Run national, state and local organizations, each is separate organization
Party in government
Candidates and office holders at national, state and local levels.

9. Function of political parties
Recruiting and nominating candidates for public office
Running political campaigns
Articulating positions on issues
Educating the electorate
Critiquing the policies of the party in power
Serving as a linking institution
Providing information to voters
Mobilizing voters
Raising funds to support party candidates

10. Types of political party systems one party systems
One party has total control over the government
Membership is not voluntary
Party leaders approve candidates for office, voters have no real choice,
Generally results in a dictatorial government
China, North Kores, and Iran

11. Types of political party systems two party systems
Two major political parties compete for control
Minor parties usually have minimal impact on elections
Electoral college system makes it almost impossible for a third party to win any given states
Generally have a consensus among citizens about the principles of government
Tend to avoid extremes
Tend towards table governments
US, United Kingdom, India, Jamaica

12. Types of political party systems multi party systems
Multiple political parties compete
Often represent widely different ideologies
Usually result of proportional representation voting system
Mean to give voters more choice
Often means no party has a clear majority
Leads to forming coalition governments,
Which lead to an unstable government
France, Italy, Israel

13. Political party organization leadership
Need effective organization to be successful
Both major parties organization is much the same
President is automatically the head of his/her party

14. Political party organization national convention
Serves as the party’s national voice
Delegates meet in the summer every 4 years to select party’s candidate for President and Vice President
Write and adopt party’s political platform, positions of the political party

15. Political party organization national committee
Manages party’s business between conventions
Select convention site, establish rules of the convention, distribute party literature, and help the party raise campaign money

16. National organization national chairperson
Elected by the national committee with approval of presidential nominee
Directs national committee form national headquarters
Fundraising
Recruiting new members
Helping get presidential nominee get elected

17. National party organization congressional campaign committee
In the house and senate
Works to ensure election/re election of the party’s candidates in Congress
Works to defeat weak appearing opposition candidates

18. National party organization state and local organization
Determined largely by state and local laws
Structured much the same in each state as at the national level
Better organized and funded than in previous years
Soft money has led to a reliance on the national party for funding
Limited by bi partisan campaign finance reform act
Citizen’s united
SCOTUS ruled limiting the amount of money a business, unions and other groups to their groups efforts to influence an election cannot be limited

19. Future of political parties
Recent decades show a decline in political parties
Third party challenges
Loss of support of party loyalists
Increase in split ticket voting
Lock of perceived differences between the parties
Party reforms
Methods of campaigning