Chapter 5 & 6 Study Guide

Ch. 5

Political party- defined as a group of persons who seek to control government through the winning of elections and the holding of public office. This is a broad definition but it will fit any political party.

Major parties- the dominant political parties in the United States. These are the Republican and Democratic Parties.

Coalition- a union of many people of diverse interests who have come together to get their candidates elected to public office. Each of them includes within its ranks a substantial share of nearly every economic, racial, etc group.

The Nominating Function- the major function of a political party is to nominate a candidate for public office. It is almost exclusively a party function in this country.

The Informer-Stimulator Function- informs the people and stimulates their interest and participation in public affairs. They do this by taking stands on issues and criticizing the other candidates and stands of their opponents.

The "Seal of Approval" Function- a "bonding agent" to ensure the good performance of its candidates and officeholders. Look for people qualified and of good character.

The Governmental Function- public officeholders are regularly chosen on the basis of political party. They also provide a basis for the conduct of government.

The Watchdog Function- the function of the party out of power to criticize the policies and behavior of the party in power. The party out of power attempts to convince the voters that they should "throw the rascals out".

Minor party- one of the less widely supported parties in the political system. These include Green Party, Libertarian, Independent and others like them.

Two-party system- the two major parties dominate American politics. These are normally the Democratic and Republicans.

Reasons for the Two-Party System- most local communities have a dominant party that will always win but it is still considered a two-party system. But throughout the American political history, this has always been a two-party system.

The Historical Basis- the Framers of the Constitution were opposed to political parties. But with the ratification of the Constitution, political parties emerged.

The Force of Tradition- most Americans accept the idea of a two-party system simply because there has always been one. Human institutions are likely to become "self-perpetuating."

The Electoral System- all elections held in the country are single-member districts elections. They also have winner-take-all elections where one candidate receives almost all the votes.

Single member district- they are contest in which only one candidate is elected to each office on the ballot. Works to discourage minor parties from winning.

Plurality- the largest number of votes cast for the office. It does not need a majority.

The American Ideological Consensus- it has given the nation two major parties that look very much alike. People by nature are ideological when they want something.

Multiparty- a system in which several major and many lesser parties exist. The various parties are each based on some particular interest.

One-party system- a "no-party" system. This is the closest thing to dictatorship because the one party always wins.

Membership of Parties- it is purely voluntary. In order of the party to get votes they try to attract people with issues and ideas they believe in and what they want the people to believe in.

The Nation's First Parties- the Federalists and the Anti-Federalists. The most common issue they argued on was the ratification of the Constitution, which the Federalists won.

The Eras of One-Party Domination- the struggle for political power has started since the beginning. For the first 60 years, the Democrats won and then the next 75 years was the Republican Party. After that, both have switched being in power occurring to economy and war.

The Era of Democrats 1800-1860- the day Jefferson was elected president of the United States, the start of the Democratic domination. These lasted until the Civil War when Republican Abraham Lincoln broke the 60-year domination

The Era of Republicans 1860-1932- the Civil War helped the Republicans tell the US citizens that they were the political party for war. Because most of the Democrats were Southern plantation owners, the Republicans started its 75-year of politics.

Electorate- the people eligible to vote. This helped the Republicans maintain the role in political power for another three decades.

The Return of the Democrats 1932-1968- with the beginning of the Great Depression, Americans needed a strong political party to get them back into the war. With the election of Franklin Roosevelt, the Democrats came back into the political arena.

The Start of a New Era- Richard Nixon, republican, was elected because of the conflicts in the Democratic Party. After his presidency, the Republican and Democratic Party fought for presidency and there as never been a dominant power in the presidency.

Minor Parties in the United States- some have limited their efforts to a particular locale and other to a single State. Some of these parties are created because of economical, single-issue, and ideological or splinter reasons.

Ideological parties- those based on a particular set of beliefs, a comprehensive view of social, economic and political matters. These parties include Marxist, Socialist and Socialist Labor and most importantly the Communist Party.

Single-issue parties- those concentrating on a single public policy matter. These include the "Know Nothing", Free Soil and Right to Life party.

Economic protest parties- those rooted in periods of economic discontent. They have proclaimed their disgust with the major parties, demanding better times and focused their anger on such real or imagined enemies as the monetary system.

Splinter parties- those that have split away from one of the major parties. Some examples are those from the Republican like the "Bill Moose" and Progressive Party.

The Key Role of Minor Parties- most Americans do not support them, minor parties have nonetheless had an impact on American politics and on the majority parties. They give the American people an issue and see what the majority parties say about them.

The Reality of Political Parties- neither party is there a chain of command running form the national through the State to local level. All political parties in reality are very disorganized, disjointed, fragmented and argue.

The Role of the Presidency- is usually more solidly united and more cohesively organized than is the opposition. The President is automatically the party leader and uses his power to make appointments to federal office.

The Impact of Federalism- the major reason for the decentralized nature to the majority parties. Because the governmental system is decentralized, the major parties are also.

The Role of the Nominating Process- nominating process is also a major cause of party decentralization. The candidate is first nominated with the party and then they fight over a nomination.

National Party Machinery- there is four elements in the structure of both major parties at the national level. They are national convention, committee, chairperson and campaign committee.

The National Convention- described as the party’s national voice. It also performs some other functions including adoption of party rules and writing of its platform.

The National Committee- the party’s affairs are handled, at least in theory, by the national, committee and by the national chairperson. They are chosen by the party organization in each State and several of the territories.

The National Chairperson- heads up the national committee. Is chosen to a four-year term by the national, committee.

The Congressional Campaign Committees- work to reelect incumbents and to save the seats given up by retiring party members. Take a hand in some campaigns to unseat incumbents in the other party.

The State Organization- the chairperson and central committee work to further the party’s interests in the State. They attempt to do so by building an effective organization and party unity, finding candidates and campaign funds, etc.

Local Organization- varies so widely that they nearly defy even a brief description. They follow the electoral map of the State, with a party unit for each district in which elective offices are to be filled.

Ward- is a unit into which cities are often divided for the elections of city council members. That is what a ward is, so there.

Precinct – This is the smallest unit of election administration. The voters in each precinct report to one polling place. In most larger cities a party’s origination is further broken down by residential blocks ad sometimes even apartment buildings

The Three Elements of the Party:

The Future of the Major Parties – Today in America, parties are viewed as an essential part of the government, or a necessary evil. Most people sway between parties as new ideas are passed through them. Since the 1960’s the party system have been in sharp decline and many think the system is on the collapse.

Split-ticket voting – This is when people vote for people in different parties in different offices. This has been a contributing factor to the decline of the party system.

The History of Voting Rights – Voting was first instituted in the United States in 1789 with the passing of the constitution. But the constitution, at that time, only allowed white landowning males to vote, leaving out many people from voting

Suffrage (franchise) – This is the right to vote. Throughout America’s changing history, the right too vote has been given to many more than just white land-owning males.

Electorate – This means the potential voting population. Today, there is about 200 million people who are allowed to vote.

The Five Stages – These where the 5 major events which helped widen the amount of people who had suffrage:

The Power to Set Voting Qualifications – The congress has set standards for people to allow them to vote, and the state can add qualifications as long is it does not disallow: any person who votes for members of the "most numerous branch" must also have the option to vote for representatives for senators for congress; many not be singled out for sex, religion, color, race, or previous condition of servitude; may not make the voters pay taxes; or deprive any person who is of the age or over 18 to vote.

Citizenship – Many aliens vote in the elections. It is said nowhere in the constitution that aliens may not. Minnesota is the only state to require that a person be an American citizen for at least 3 months before they can vote

Residence – Most states want the people who are voting to have time to see the problems of the state and the candidates. In most states a person must live there for a set amount of time before voting, this is also done to stop outside voters from voting

Age – In 1970 a bill passed allowing people to vote at the age of 18. Though some states are now starting to allow 17 year old to vote

Other Qualifications – All states except Nebraska require people to register to be able to vote.

Registration – This is a process of voter identification, intended to prevent fraudulent voting. It also gives election officials a list stating all of the qualified voters

Literacy – No state today disallows people who cannot read to vote in any elections. The act that made this possible was put in action in 1970 with the Voting Rights Act Amendments

Poll tax – This was a tax payment in some states that a person had to pay in order to vote. Also property tax was a major item required for suffrage in many states is now banned because of the 24^th Amendment

Who May Not Vote - All states disallow some people from voting. They include people who are found to be mentally unable to vote, a person who was guilty of a major crime, and anyone who was dishonorably discharged from the armed forces

The 15th Amendment – This was ratified in 1870 and it declared the right to vote to every race, color, or anyone who previously was in servitude.

Gerrymandering – This is the practice of drawing lines of electoral districts in order to limit the voting strength of a particular

The Civil Rights Acts of 1957 and 1960 – In 1957 the United States Civil Rights Commission was set up to inquire into reports of voter discrimination.

Injunctions – These are also known as federal court orders meant to prevent interference with any person’s right to vote in federal elections

The Civil Rights Acts of 1964 – This outlaws the discrimination in several areas, especially in the job-related matters. This also forbids the use of any registration requirement in an unfair or discriminatory manner

The Voting Rights Act of 1965 and Its Amendments – This finally made the 15^th Amendment truly effective. This expanded voting rights to all levels of elections. It has also been expanded but voting right Amendments 3 times, n 1970, 1975, and 1982.

The Size of the Problem – There are many people who do not vote in elections. In the 1996 presidential election, 48.8% of people allowed to vote actually did, in the 1996 House of Representative vote only 40% voted.

Little-Recognized Aspects of the Problem – The biggest problem in ballot voting is that some people do not fill out the entire ballot. This is also known as ballot fatigue, a phenomenon where the offices further down the ballot are not voted for as much as the ones on the top

Why People do Not Vote – Why do we have so many nonvoters? Why, even in a presidential election, do nearly half of all those who could vote stay away from the polls?

Cannot Voters – These voters can also be named nonvoters. The list include aliens who have been bared from the polls, people who where injured or very sick, and other who traveled unexpectedly could not vote

Actual Nonvoters – These people can vote but decide not to. Most decide not to because they are convinced their vote would not effect the election. Others think that politics is useless and that thing will continue in that same state no matter what

Political efficacy – This is when a person lacks any sense of their own influence or effectiveness in politics. They think they have been squeezed out of the political system; that the system of control has been taken by the media and big business.

Factors Affecting Turnout – Another major factor to elector turnout is income, education, and occupational statues. The people who have higher levels of these usually vote for the same party and feel like they were not pressured into voting.

The Study of Voting Behavior – There are many people who do not vote but of the people who do vote, why do they and how do they act?

Political socialization – This is the process by which people gain their political attitudes and opinions. This process usually begins in early childhood, the process is usually effects by experiences and relationships that lead people to see the political world

Factors that Influence Voters – Leading influences in voting are a voter’s personal characteristics like age, race, income, occupation, education, religion, etc; a voter’s group affiliation, family co-workers, friends, etc; and also the voter’s perception of politics.

The Sociological Factors – Some examples of this is college graduates are more likely to vote Republican and most people over the age of 50 are more likely to vote Democratic

Income Occupation – The people in the upper middle to high-income branches are more likely to vote Republican while the other vote Democratic. This can also include people in higher braches of their job, like store owner/manager will go Republican

Education – Most high school and college graduates vote Republican and other who went through grade school go Democratic.

Genders, Age – Men to women ratios for voting do not vary greatly from Democratic to Republican, unless there are major issues of war and stock market. Also it is found that younger voters vote Democratic while older people vote GOP, or for the party which looks most promising.

Religious, Ethnic Background – It has been found that most Northern Protestants go GOP and most Jews and Catholics go Democratically

Geography - After the Civil most southerners voted Democratic. Over time Maine, Vermont, Kansas, Nebraska, and the Dakotas almost always go Republican

Family, Other Group Affiliations – In most families the trends of voting are usually passed down through the generations

The Psychological Factors – To see the exact reasons why people vote the way they do you have to look past their race, color, ethnicities, etc and look at how they react to party policies and the issues of election

Party Identification Early in life most people identify themselves to a specific party. Many of these people never change

Straight ticket voting – This is the term used for people who vote for people; for the presidency, congress, house of representative, etc; in the same party as the voter is in no matter their campaign or what they stand for

Split ticket voting – This is the term used to describe people who vote for more than one party

Candidates and Issues – A large part in winning an election though is your appearance and what you support. In the 1996 election Bill Clinton was able to steal 13% of the regular Republican from Bob Dole because his campaign was better and the issues where better addressed