Transcript Goal 6: Political Parties and Elections

Unit 6: Political Parties and
Elections
Political Party Systems
I. What is a Political Party???
• A group of voters who have the same beliefs
about government and try to control decisions
made in the government by electing
candidates from their party
II. Political Party Systems
• One Party System
– Ex. China, Cuba
• Two Party System
– Ex. United States
• Multi Party System
– Ex. Japan, Italy, Germany, Israel
III. America’s Two-Party System
• Began with ratification of the Constitution
– 1st Political Parties: Federalists and Anti-Federalists
• Today:
– Democrats: “Liberal,” big government; more
government involvement in the economy, less
involvement in people’s lives
– Republicans: “Conservative,” small government; less
government involvement in the economy, more
government involvement in people’s lives
• Third Parties
– Parties that challenge the other 2 parties
– They focus on issues they believe have been
ignored by the Dems and Reps
– Not very many supporters
– Ex. Tea Party, Progressive Party, Green Party
Roles of Political Parties
I. Organization of Political Parties
• Every political party works on the local, state,
and national level
• Local level: Political machines
• National work is more visible, however
– The national convention is held every presidential
election year
– Parties select their candidates for President and
VP and write their party platform
II. Roles of Political Parties
1. Select candidates for office
– Primary elections
– National Convention
2. Campaign for candidates
DNC in 2012
3. Inform citizens of party goals and objectives
•
Use the mass media to do this (radio, tv,
Internet)
4. Help manage government
•
When they win they have to run the
government
5. Link different levels of government
•
Easy for Pres, Governors, and Mayors of same
party to work together
6. Acts as a “watchdog”
– Parties that lose power in an election will check
the actions of the winning party to make sure
they don’t abuse their powers
Voting
I. Why is Voting Important?
• You get to choose your
leaders
• You get to participate in
the government
• You can voice your
opinions about certain
issues
• You give your consent
to the government
II. Requirements for Voting
• Past Requirements: white, male, property
owner, age 21
• Current Requirements:
– Age 18 (Amendment 26)
– US Citizen—African Americans (Amendment 15),
Women (Amendment 19)
– Be registered to vote in MI
III. The Process of Voting
1. Learn about the candidates and issues
2. Go to the polling place during voting hours
3. They will check your ID and registration and
give you a ballot
4. Go to the booth and mark your choices
– Split ticket
– Straight ticket
5. Turn in your ballot
**Absentee
Ballots
IV. Why Don’t More People Vote???
• Apathy
• Voting times conflict with work schedule
• Too busy
• “My vote won’t count!”
Types of Elections
I. Primary Elections
• Held to determine who the candidates will be in the
November elections
– Closed—only party members can vote
– Open—anyone can vote
• Held between January and June
• Caucus—same thing as a primary election; party
members choose candidates instead of voting
II. General Elections
• Held 1st Tuesday after 1st Monday in Nov.
• Voters select the people who will hold office
• The President must go through the Electoral
College before being officially elected
– Only official NOT directly elected by the people
– # of electors per state= # of Senators + # of Reps
– A candidate must get at least 270 out of 538 votes
to win
– “Winner takes all” system
• Some candidates do not have to belong to a
political party to run for office
– Ex. NC Judges, School Board members
– Called non-partisan elections
III. Elections on Issues
• Referendum: issue from legislature placed on
ballot for public to vote
• Initiative: citizens make laws by starting a
petition
• Recall: vote someone out of office
Elections Campaigning
I. Elections Campaigns
• File for candidacy
• Primary Elections
• General Elections
II. Gaining Public Support
• Canvassing – go through neighborhoods hold
local rally's
• Propaganda – convince people to think a
certain way
• 1. Name-Calling--Use of an unpleasant label
or description
2. Symbolism—Using patriotic symbols
3. Glittering Generalities--Uses words that
sound good but have little meaning.
4. Bandwagon—You should be doing what
everybody else is doing
5. “Just Plain Folks”--Claim to understand
the problems of average Americans
6. Stacked Cards--Presents only one side of
the issue
7. Endorsements—Candidates get famous
people to back them
III. Campaign Funding
• Federal Elections Campaign Act (1979)
– Required candidates to publicly disclose spending
– Limited the amount of $ that people could donate
directly to candidates
• Public Funding
– Established by FECA
– $ is raised through donations on tax returns and
then split between 2 presidential candidates
• Private Funding
– Largest source of campaign funds
– Most of this comes from individuals and Political
Action Committees (PAC—see defs)
• McCain-Feingold Act (2002)
– Prohibits national political parties from raising $
that could be used for anything
IV. Incumbents
• Incumbent:
someone who has
served in office and is
running for reelection
• Incumbents have
advantages, such as
name recognition
and experience
raising $
Public Opinion and Interest
Groups
I. Public Opinion
• The ideas and attitudes that most people hold
about elected officials, candidates, the
government, and political issues
• Candidates, the media, and interest groups
affect public opinion
II. Interest Groups
• A group of people who share a point of view
about an issue and unite to promote their
ideas
• Examples:
– NCAE, Chamber of Commerce, NAACP, AARP,
Green Peace, NRA
• Interest groups hire lobbyists to convince
candidates and legislators to support their
cause
– Legal Actions: contact lawmakers, campaign for
candidates
– Illegal Actions: buying lawmakers/candidates gifts
or paying for their living expenses (bribes)
• Methods used to end corruption between
lawmakers and special interest groups:
– Federal Elections Campaign Act
• Candidates must report fundraising/spending
• Special interest groups have to report a list of their
employees to Congress