1. Political Parties and Elections

2. Political Parties
Definition: Group that seeks to elect candidates to public office by supplying them with a label – a “party identification” – by which they are known to the electorate
Party identification is important for candidates to seek money, support, and appeal.
Minor Parties / Third Parties
Discouraged by the electoral college
Either too conservative (reactionary) or too liberal (radical)
Organized around a long-lasting goal or ideology
Ideological: alternate way of governance
One-issue parties: focused on a single policy (parochial)
Economic-protest parties: wants change in economic conditions
Factional parties: split from a major party
Ex. Abolitionists, Prohibitionists, Socialists, Communist, Libertarian, Green, Free-Soil, Woman’s, “Know-Nothing”, Populists, Greenback, “Bull Moose”, States’ Rights, Henry Wallace, George Wallace, Reform

3. Functions of Political Parties
Nominators
Nominates candidates that promote the parties’ ideologies
Screeners
Litmus test allows the party to choose candidates based on their ideological purity
Informers
Political party acts as a liaison and a linkage institution between the government and its citizens
The use of media stimulates and educates the people to take part in their duty to vote
Governmental Roles
Party ideology directly or indirectly influence the public policy which affects how governing works
Watch Dog
The presence of multiple political parties prohibits one body of government from having absolute power

4. Organization Primaries and General Elections
DNC (Democratic National Convention) / RNC (Republican National Convention)
National Committee – representatives from each state and territory
National Chairman – manages day-to-day work
National Convention every four years during the summer before a presidential
election in November in order to nominate presidential candidates
Congressional Campaign Committee – assists incumbents and challengers to
be elected as a congressman
Primaries and General Elections
Closed Primaries – the voter must declare in advance his or her party membership
Open Primaries – the voter decides when they enter the voting booth (few states)
Blanket (free-love) primaries – has candidates for all parties, and does not necessarily have to choose candidates of the same party.
More people vote in general election (50%) compared to only 25% that voted in primary elections

5. Development First party was held during Andrew Jackson’s presidency
Today
Democrats (1968 -
Republicans (1916 -
1964
George Wallace Democrats
Democrats
1952
1948
Henry Wallace Progressives
States’ Rights Democrats
1916
Republicans
1908
Bull Moose Progressive
1900
1896
National Democrats
Bryan Democrats
1864
1856 – 1860
Southern Democrats
Constitutional Unionists
1852
Republicans Whigs
1836
Whigs
1824
National Republicans
1796
Democratic-Republicans
Federalists
1787
Anti-federalists
First party was held during Andrew Jackson’s presidency
In earlier times, candidates were determined by party leaders in “smoke-filled rooms”
Creation of:
primary election in most states
Party machines using material incentives
Weakened political parties due to individual candidates relying on consultants and media

6. Effects on the Political Process
Citizens choose a political party that they are a part of.
The candidates in an election are nominated by their political party.
Elections are usually partisan, with voters voting for the political party they belong to.
Officials have beliefs that are the most close to their own political parties, therefore will try to enact laws that is supported by that parties.
Because of the partisanship in parties, if there is a divided government, it would be likely that there is a policy gridlock.

7. Electoral Laws and Systems
Plurality System
Electoral college encourages the two-party system
Each state gets electoral votes equal to the number of its senators and representatives (DC gets 3)
Allows states to benefit, both small and large, by giving at least 3 votes to each and more for the ones with more population
Total of 538 electoral votes
Winner-take-all system in 48 states allows a candidate to win with 270 electoral votes rather than getting the majority of the popular votes
Candidates go for the states with the most electoral votes. 11 of the largest states will total 230 electoral votes
Electoral college prevents third parties from forming if they are to win the votes by popular vote
If neither of the candidates wins the majority, the decision is made by the House of Representatives

8. Multiple Choice Questions
The most successful third parties
Represent as particular region of the country
Have strong ties to an ideological position
Break off from one of the two major parties
Focus on a single issue
Support a particular group
2. The Republicans select George Bush as their 2004 election candidate. This is an example of which political party role?
Screeners
Nominators
Informers
Watch Dog
Governmental roles

9. ideological and less practical.
What effect does a plurality (winner-take-all) election system generally have on the political party system?
(A) The plurality election system generally results in a multi-party system.
(B) The plurality election system generally encourages political parties to be more
ideological and less practical.
(C) The plurality election system generally results in an apathetic electorate with few
loyalties to political parties.
(D) The plurality election system generally results in a political system that is
dominated by two broad-based parties.
(E) The plurality election system generally results in a one-party system with lesser
parties that occasionally challenge the status quo.
(D) – The single most important reason for a two-party system is the winner-take-all
or pluralist electoral system. This system contrasts to those with proportional
representation where the percentage of votes for a party’s candidates is directly
applied as the percentage of representatives in the legislature. The winner in
American elections is the one who receives the largest number of votes in each
voting district. The winner does not need to have more than 50 percent, but only one
vote more than his or her closest competitor. This process encourages parties to
become larger, embracing more and more voters. So third parties have almost no
hope of getting candidates into office, and their points of view tend to fall under the
umbrella of one or both of the big parties.

10. Free Constructed Response
Which governmental role would have most effect on the political process and explain.

11. Important Difference in What Democratic and Republican Parties Stand For 1952-2000
1960
1968
1976
1984
1992
2000
No Difference 41 43 44 42 30 35 33
Yes, a
Difference 50 52 47 63 60 64
Don’t Know;
Depends 9 6 4 10 8 5 2
Question Text: “Do you think there are any important differences in what the Republicans and Democrats stand for?”
The two-party system in the United States generally is characterized by broad-based parties with overlapping appeal to voters.
a) Identify one trend in public opinion between 1952 and 2000 about differences in what the Democratic and Republican Parties stand for.
b) Give two specific explanations for the trend identified in part a).