Political parties develop policy platforms to mobilize voter support and win elections so they can implement their policy goals. Parties must appeal to a broad range of voters on many issues to be successful in a two-party system. The document instructs students to investigate the policy goals of the Democratic, Republican, and a third party in one issue area using assigned resources, then summarize and compare the parties' positions in that area while evaluating them based on their own views and how effective the goals may be at generating voter support.

1. Political parties mobilize voters to win elections and implement
policy goals. Parties use their stated policy goals (i.e., their
platforms) as a way to mobilize voter support. Generally, in
order to be successful in a two-party system, parties must have
policy goals across a broad range of issue areas to appeal to a
broad range of voters.
Before writing your initial post, review the
assigned resources
.
To easily access the resources from the Ashford University
Library, please see the table located in the Course Materials
section.
For this discussion, you will identify
one
issue area that you want investigate. Use the assigned resources
required for this discussion to gather information about the
goals and proposals, in that issue area, of
three
political parties – the Democratic and Republican parties and a
third party.
In your initial post of at least 200-250 words, summarize each
of the three parties’ policy goals in your issue area. Compare
and contrast the parties' goals in that area. Evaluate each party's
goals from two perspectives:
Your own political philosophy, values or ideology.
How effective each party's goals are likely to be in mobilizing
voters to support the party's candidates on the national level. In
making your assessment from this perspective, consider what
influence the factors which underlie the two-party system have
on each party's ability to use its policy proposals to generate
voter support.
Justify your conclusions with facts and persuasive reasoning.
Fully respond to all parts of the question. Write in your own
words. Support your position with APA citations to two or more
of the assigned resources required for this discussion. Please be

2. sure that you demonstrate understanding of these resources,
integrate them into your argument, and cite them properly.