3. 3
Party Systems
■ One Party - only one party exists or has
the chance to win the election,
membership is not voluntary, represent
only a small portion of the population,
result of dictatorial government
■ Two Party - may have several parties, but
only two compete for power; minor parties
have little impact; general consensus
among citizens regarding the role of
government; enhances stability because
both parties want to appeal to most voters
4. 4
Party Systems
■ Multi Party - several major and several
minor parties compete in elections,
with any of the parties having a good
chance of winning; often found in
European nations; can promote
instability when no clear majority
exists and coalitions form
5. 5
What Do Political Parties Do?
■ Recruit Candidates
■ Nominate and Support Candidates
■ Educate the Electorate
■ Organize the Government (Congress
majority v minority, appointments)
6. 6
Party Identification and
Membership
■ Voluntary, based on identification, and
shared views on issues or the roles of
government
■ Factors that may influence party
identification include:
■ ideology, education, income,
occupation, race/ethnicity, gender,
religion, family tradition, region of
the country, marital status
7. 7
The Two-Party Tradition In America
■ James Madison - Federalist #10 warned
of the divisiveness of “factions”
■ George Washington warned against the
“baneful effects of the spirit of the party”
in his farewell address
■ The conflict between the Federalist and
Anti-Federalists over the role of
government during ratification of the
Constitution resulted in the first two
political parties (Jeffersonian-Republicans
and Democratic-Republicans)
8. 8
Why Still Two-Party Tradition?
■ Historic Roots - British heritage and
Federalist/Anti-Federalist divisions
■ Electoral Systems - One winner per
office (single member districts)
■ Election Laws - Vary from state to
state which makes it difficult for minor
parties to get on the ballot
10. 10
Party Development
■ Electoral Dealignment - large number
of voters no longer support a
particular candidate, an increase in
independents
■ Electoral Realignment - a shift in
voting patterns, new coalitions
vorming (Examples: 1860, 1932,
1980, even 2008)
12. 12
Third or Minor Parties
■ ideological - based on social,
economic, or political beliefs
(communist, socialist, libertarian)
■ splinter/personality/factional - split
from major party usually because of
leader with strong personality; usually
disappear when leaders steps aside
(TR Bull Moose Progressive, Strom
Thurmond States’ Rights, George
Wallace American Independent)
13. 13
Third or Minor Parties
■ Single Issue - parties that concentrate
on a single public policy matter (Right
to Life, Prohibition)
■ Protest - usually rooted in periods of
economic discontent (Greenback,
Populist)
14. 14
Divided Government
■ One party controls the Presidency and
another party controls one or both
houses of Congress
■ Creates Gridlock - political stalemate
18. 18
Expansion of Suffrage
■ Suffrage is the right to vote
■ Left to States
■ Over time restrictions have been
reduced and authority has transferred
from states to the federal government
20. 20
Expansion of Suffrage
■ 1964 - 24th Amendment (poll tax)
■ 1966 - Harper v Virginia State Board
of Elections (poll tax unconstitutional)
■ 1971 - 26th Amendment (age lowered
to 18)
21. 21
Issue or Policy Voting
■ Brought about by the Progressive
Movement of the early 20th Century
■ Direct Primary - citizens nominate
candidates
■ Recall - special elections initiated by
petition to allow citizens to remove an
official from office
■ Referendum - citizens vote directly on
issues (propositions)
■ Initiative - voters petition to propose
issues
24. 24
Low Voter Turnout - Reasons
■ Increase Number of Voters
■ Failure of Parties to Mobilize
■ No Perceived Differences (candidate or
party)
■ Mistrust of Government
■ Apathy
■ Satisfaction
■ Lack of Political Efficacy (people do not
believe they can make a difference)
■ Registration Process (Motor Voter Law -
National Voter Registration Act of 1995)
25. 25
Who Votes - Factors That Affect
■ Education - higher more likely to vote
■ Occupation/Income - white collar more
likely, blue collar less likely
■ Age - older more likely
■ Race - minorities less likely
■ Gender - women more likely today
■ Religion - active more likely
■ Marital Status - married more likely
■ Union Member - vote regularly
26. 26
Types of Elections
■ Primary - nominating elections
■ closed - only registered party
members
■ open - voters may vote to choose
candidates from either party
■ runoff - when no clear majority the
top two candidates compete
■ General - voters choose from among
all candidates nominated by political
parties
28. 28
Presidential Elections
■ Exploration
■ Announcement
■ Primaries (nominating election to
decide who will represent the party in
the general election) and Caucuses
(meeting to select delegates who will
nominate candidates to political office)
■ Nominating Conventions
■ Campaign and General Election
■ Electoral College (538 electors)
32. 32
Functions of Interest Groups
■ Raise Awareness / Stimulate Interest
■ Represent Members (serve as a link
between members and government)
■ Provide Information (date and
testimony useful to public policy)
■ Channel Political Participation (enable
citizens to work toward a common
goal)
33. 33
Types of Interest Groups
■ Economic
■ AFL-CIO, Teamsters
■ Causes
■ specific - ACLU (American Civil Liberties
Union), NRA (National Rifle Association)
■ welfare - AARP (American Association of
Retired Persons), NAACP (National
Association for the Advancement of Colored
People)
■ religion
■ Public Interest - MADD (Mothers Against Drunk
Driving), League of Women Voters
34. 34
Strategies of Interest Groups
■ Influence Elections
■ PAC - Political Action Committees
(organized to contribue money to
candidates)
■ Lobbying - attempting to influence
policymakers (supply data and use staff to
convince policymakers)
■ Litigation - take an issue to court if they
are unsuccessful in gaining the support of
Congress
■ Going Public - appeal to the public
38. 38
Mass Media
■ All forms of communication that transmit
information to the general public.
■ Newspapers
■ Magazines
■ Radio
■ Television
■ Internet
!
■ Bias in the Media (reporters tend to be
liberal, owners/editors/publisher tend
to be conservative)
39. 39
Roles of Media
■ Inform the public
■ Shaping public opinion
■ Providing a link between citizens and
government
■ Serving as a watchdog (investigates
and examines)
■ Agenda Setting (influence topics for
discussion)
