1. Chapter Eleven Political Parties
Instructor: Kevin Sexton
Course: U.S. Political Systems
Southeast Missouri State University

2. What Is A Political Party
A group of individuals with common beliefs, values and opinions
that band together to affect public policy by
attempting to get their members elected to public office.
Differences between INTEREST GROUPS & POLITICAL PARTIES
How they work:
Political Parties attempt to effect public policy by getting their members elected
to public office.
Interest Groups attempt to effect public policy without getting their members
elected to public office.
Who their members are:
Political Parties are INCLUSIVE
Interest Groups are EXCLUSIVE

3. The Parties In Different Contexts
Political Parties in the United States can actually be described as three different
types of organizations, depending on the CONTEXT of the party being discussed.
What I mean by CONTEXT is where is the party doing it’s work. There are three
Particular PLACES or CONTEXTS in which parties operate.
The three CONTEXTS or PLACES are:
The Party in the ELECTORATE
The Party in the GOVERNMENT
The Party as an ORGANIZATION

4. Roles of Political Parties (These are not in your textbook)
Recruit Candidates
Nominate Candidates
Mobilize Voters
Contest Elections
Form Governments
Coordinate Policies across independent units
of government
7. Provide Accountability

5. Brief History of Political Parties in the United States
The history of political parties in the U.S. can be broken
down into 6 eras.
To understand the concept of different eras we need to look
at a series of terms and concepts.
Party Alignment
Critical Election
Realignment

6. 1st and 2nd Party Eras 1st Era (Jeffersonian) Critical Election: 1828
Barely recognized as a party era.
Because not many people involved in the political process
Nomination of presidential and vice-presidential candidates controlled
by a congressional caucus.
Critical Election: 1828
2nd Era (Jacksonian)
Introduced use of the National Nominating Conventions(1832).
First time a party was based on mass participation.
Democrats and Whigs were primary parties.
Economics and Territorial Expansion were basic issues of the day.
Democrats splintered as northern and southern members could not agree
on a candidate.
Both nominated a candidate (combined they got 60% of the pop. vote).
Abe Lincoln won the election with 40% of the pop. vote.
Critical Election: 1860

7. 3rd and 4th Party Eras 3rd Era (Civil War and Reconstruction)
Parties gained great levels of control over the political process.
“Party Machines” are the model of the day.
i.e. Tammany Hall (NYC)
Candidates continued to be nominated by the party.
Only popular choice came after the party nominated the individuals.
Critical Election: 1896
4th Era (Industrial Republican)
Progressive reforms weaken party control.
Australian Ballot
Direct Primary
Pendleton Act
Critical Elections: 1932 & 1936

8. 5th and 6th Party Eras 5th Era (New Deal) Critical Election: 1968
Dominated by the Democrats.
Because they were able to bring together the “common” man.
Repeal of the Democrats 2/3rds rule allowed the Democratic Party
to eventually nominate more “pro-civil rights” candidates for president.
Democrats become the new party of the blacks.
Solid Democratic south became a Solid Republican South.
Critical Election: 1968
6th Era (Divided Government)
Neither party has had dominant control during this period.
Republicans dominated the presidential races, but Democrats rarely lost
control of the House or the Senate.
It has been suggested that parties have become so weak they cannot
become powerful enough to force a realignment to create a new party era.

9. Two Party System It is true that we have a TWO-PARTY system.
Why do we have a two-party system?
Is it required in the Constitution?
NO.
We have a TWO-SYSTEM because of the way we chose/elect
the elected officials in this country.
Our elected officials are selected through a process that is
known as a:
Single-member, Simple Plurality (SMSP) System

10. SMSP Electoral System Single-Member Simple Plurality
Each election that is held has ONE winner that is elected to represent
the whole district.
also known as “winner takes all.”
Simple Plurality
The winner of the election is the candidate that receives a plurality
of the votes cast.
Majority is 50.1% of the votes cast.
Plurality is getting more votes than anyone else.

11. Proportional Electoral System
Many democracies select the members of the national
legislature based on the following:
Multiple-Member Districts
More that one “winner” in each district.
“Winners” are based on the percent of the
popular vote that each party receives.

12. Side by Side Comparison of the SMSP & Proportional Electoral Systems
Party A % of votes cast
Party B % of votes cast
Party C % of votes cast
Party A % of votes cast
Party B % of votes cast
Party C % of votes cast
Party D % of votes cast
One person will represent the district.
10 people will represent the district.
Candidate from Party C is the winner.
3 individuals from Party A “win.”
4 individuals from Party B “win.”
1 individual from Party C “win.”
2 individuals from Party D “win.”
WHY?
That candidate won more votes
than any other candidate.
Which System discourages THIRD PARTIES?
WHY?

13. Third Parties
As the previous slide shows, Third Parties have very little
legitimate chance of winning elected office in this nation.
There are sporadic instances where a Third Party candidate
might win a local office.
But with the exception of Gov. Ventura, in Minnesota there have
not been many other Third Party candidates that have won a
state or national office.
If this is the case, why do Third Parties exist?
Most Third Parties that provide any true impact are short lived.
This is because any Third Party that attracts “significant” popular
support (votes) will have major parts of their platform “co-opted”
by one or both of the major political parties.
i.e. Ross Perot & Ralph Nader

14. Strength of Parties in the U.S.
Key events have reduced the power of political parties in the U.S.
Civil Service Reform
Open Primary
Australian Ballot
Increased Mobility of the Population
Technological Advances
From the mid-1980s the national party organizations have seen
An increase in their influence over campaigns, but not an increase
In their influence over candidates.
Elections have become more candidate-centered and less party-centered.

15. Candidate- Versus Party-Centered Politics
In past years individuals in the U.S. looked very closely at
What party a candidate belonged to. If they belonged to
“their” party that is the person they voted for.
Straight Party Voting was common.
Voters have begun looking more closely at the individual
candidates in an election, and assessing the values and
abilities of the candidates.
Split Ticket Voting is more common today.
Parties have therefore become less powerful
And
We continue to see Divided Government