Political Parties

A political party is an organization seeking

  influence over government by electing its members to office. 

Political parties effectively lower the information costs of voter participation because they provide

  brand-name recognition. 

The permanence of political parties

  helps the legislative process because coalitions do not need to be built from scratch on every issue. 

Since at least the Civil War, the United States has had ________ major parties; including ________.

 two; the Republican and Democratic Parties 

The South has transitioned from being a

  solidly Democratic region to being a solidly Republican region.