UNIT 5 GOV FR

political party

organized group of party leaders, officers, voters; working to elect candidates for political office

anti-establishment appeal

candidates progressive left/right

parties as organizations

educates voters, candidate requirements, develops media strategies; national party organizations provide streamlined voice for party

party identification

how voters are connected/influenced by political party

straight vs split ticket voting

party vs not; candidates from diff parties in same election

candidate-centered campaign

more grassroots

development of american political parties

party coalition = groups of voters who support party over time (americans solidly democrat/republican); realignment = groups that support one party shift allegiance to another

party era

one party wins most national elections

modern american party politics

FDR = shift to democrats, LBJ democrats northern liberals, lost to dixiecrats aka republican party southerners, Nixon dealignment

polarization

seperation of parties; party interaction changed, now considered secondary (when weighed against candidate-centered campaigns) → leads to factions. selfmade candidates can help though! coalition can significantly alter election outcome

caucus v primary

caucuses = elections run by political parties (secret ballots); if <15%, not viable. primary = run by state gov, closed means you must registerw / a party. both often frontloaded (pushed early in election season to gain influence/presidential momentum), or final state for national convention

party nomination process

declared candidates compete for nomination, seeking the support of pledged delegates (voters representatives at convention); must nominate winner of state/district caucus/primary elections

party caucus

method of selecting nominees, state eligible voters select delegates to represent nomination preferences

primaries

state gov has to finance; parties must abide by state laws governing process

caucus

parties have more flexibility on dates/awarding delegates

super delegates

party leader/activist NOT pledged to candidate based on outcome of state primary (can choose a diff candidate)

two party system

two political parties dominate politics, winning all elections

single member plurality

; flourishes in electoral system = single member plurality. choosing members of legislature where winner is candidate who receives the most voters; candidate doesn’t receive majority (50% voters)

proportional representation system

= citizens vote for parties, not individuals; parties represented according to percentage of the vote they receive

third parties

minor political party w/ respect to major 2; often focuses on more singular issues, platforms incorporated into major platforms. hinderances = winner take all, negative press from major parties (who are scared of 3rd parties stealing votes)