Political Unit

political party

a group of persons who seek to control government through the winning of elections and the holding of public office

two major U.S. parties

Republican Party and Democratic Party

party organization

the party leaders, activists, and workers who run the party

party in government

the party’s candidates and officeholders

party in the electorate

the voters who support the party

party platform

a party’s formal statement of principles, beliefs, and positions on major issues

political spectrum

the range of political views from liberal to conservative

liberal

favors government action to bring change and solve social and economic problems

moderate

a person with views between liberal and conservative; middle-of-the-road

conservative

favors keeping traditional institutions and less government intervention

plurality

the largest number of votes cast for a candidate

majority

more than half of all votes cast

consensus

general agreement on fundamental matters

partisanship

strong support for a party and its policies

bipartisan

supported by members of both major parties

coalition

a temporary alliance of groups or parties for a common purpose

single-member district

an election district where only one person is elected to office

winner-take-all election

an election in which the candidate with the most votes wins the office

five party functions

nominating candidates, informing and activating supporters, acting as a bonding agent, governing, and acting as watchdog

nominating candidates

selecting candidates to run for public office

informing and activating supporters

campaigning, taking stands on issues, criticizing opponents, and encouraging participation

bonding agent function

parties try to make sure their candidates are qualified and trustworthy

governing function

parties help government work by organizing officials and helping branches cooperate

watchdog function

the party out of power criticizes the party in power

loyal opposition

the party out of power that opposes the party in power but remains loyal to the country

two-party system

a system in which two major parties dominate politics and elections

why the U.S. has a two-party system

historical basis, tradition, the electoral system, and ideological consensus

historical basis of the two-party system

the first two parties grew out of the fight over ratifying the Constitution

America’s first two parties

Federalists and Anti-Federalists

Framers’ view of parties

most Framers distrusted parties and saw them as divisive factions

force of tradition

the two-party system continues partly because America has always had one

electoral system reason for two parties

single-member districts and election laws discourage minor parties

ideological consensus

broad agreement among Americans on basic values and beliefs

why ideological consensus helps two parties

Americans are not usually split into many sharply opposed ideological groups

Federalists

supported a strong national government

Anti-Federalists

opposed too strong a national government and favored stronger state power

Democratic Party origin

begun by Andrew Jackson

Republican Party origin

formed in 1854 when several groups combined

1860 to 1968 in party history

an era when control of government alternated between Democrats and Republicans

1968 to present in party history

an era marked by divided government

divided government

when one party controls the presidency and the other controls one or both houses of Congress

spoils system

giving government jobs to political supporters

incumbent

the current officeholder

minor parties

parties outside the two major parties that rarely win major offices but can influence elections and ideas

four types of minor parties

ideological parties, single-issue parties, economic protest parties, and splinter parties

ideological party

a party based on a set of beliefs about society, politics, and the economy

single-issue party

a party focused on one major public issue

economic protest party

a party that forms during hard economic times

splinter party

a party made up of people who broke away from a major party

importance of minor parties

they act as critics and innovators and can influence the outcome of elections

national convention

the meeting where a party formally nominates its presidential and vice-presidential candidates and adopts its platform

national committee

the party organization that handles affairs between conventions

national chairperson

the leader of a party’s national committee

caucus

a meeting of party members to select candidates or delegates

primary

an election in which party members choose candidates

precinct

the smallest unit of election administration

ward

a city election district, often used for city council elections

get out the vote

campaign efforts to make sure supporters actually go vote

voter turnout

the percentage of eligible voters who cast ballots

off-year election

a congressional election held between presidential elections

ballot fatigue

the tendency to stop voting for offices farther down the ballot

political efficacy

the belief that one can understand and influence politics

political socialization

the process by which people gain their political opinions and attitudes

party identification

a voter’s loyalty to a particular political party

straight-ticket voting

voting for candidates of only one party

split-ticket voting

voting for candidates of different parties in the same election

people more likely to vote

older, married, better educated, higher-income, long-time residents

people less likely to vote

younger, less educated, lower-income, unmarried, and more mobile people

major influences on voting behavior

sociological factors, party identification, candidates, and issues