Two-Party Systems

Roles of Political Parties

• Nominate candidates/manage campaigns

• support during elections and in office

• inform and activate supporters

• connects people with their government

govern

• make laws/policy decisions

• serve on committees and in leadership positions

• Watchdog

• provides accountability

• minority party critics the decision of party in power

linkage institutions

organizations that connect the people to the government

multi-party system

several majority parties have a realistic chance of winning elections

one-party system

only one party allowed; dictatorship

political ideology

set of beliefs about politics, public policy, and the role of government

history

there us no mention of political parties in the constitution

First Pass the Post (FPTP)

= winner takes all = single member district

reasons we still have a two-party system

• tradition

• single-member districts

• plurality system

• the winner-takes-all system

• people identify with a party

single-member districts

one person elected for each representative position, meaning the major party will always win

spoiler effect

the better a third party candidate does in an election, the more they hurt the candidate with the ideology closest to them

split ticket voting

voting for officials of different parties

same ticket voting

voting for an official just because they’re in your party

Political Parties trends

• party loyalty is decreasing

• increase in split ticket voting

• 61% of Americans believe a third major party is needed

• campaigns are becoming more candidate-centered and parties have less control over who is nominated

• parties must adjust to changing demographics and technology

what is the purpose of minor parties?

• critics of current policies and highlight issues major parties ignore

• innovate new ideas

• make the difference in an election by drawing votes away from one of the major parties

why is it so hard for minor parties to win elections?

• difficult to raise funds

• not included in debates

• the winner-take-all system makes it very difficult

• must get petition signatures to even get placed on the ballot

ideological parties

based on a comprehensive set of beliefs

• libertarian or green party

single-issue parties

focused on one policy matter

• right to life or marijuana party

economic protest parties

rooted in periods of economic discontent

• tea party

splinter/factional parties

party that has split from one of the major parties

• progressive “bull moose” party

barnstorming

when a candidate goes to campaign in as many states/locales as possible to ensure a win, no matter if the state is blue or red.

primaries and caucuses

• elections that determine each party’s nominee (presidential and congressional)

• run in jan/feb to June of election year

Two major types of primaries

• Open

• Closed

  • as these elections play out, unsuccessful candidates will drop out

open

a voter may choose to participate in whoever primary they chose, regardless of their registered party preferences

closed

a voter must be registered with a party in order to vote in their primary

Super Tuesday

day when the greatest number of states hold their caucuses and primaries, typically in March

national party conventions

• after primaries, each party will nominate their candidate here (in summer)

  • parties platform is finalized

  • presidential and vice nominees are announced

  • speeches are given by party leaders

• kicks off the campaign leading to Election Day

swing state

mixed state (purple)

• hard to predict how they’ll vote

campaign time

• candidates visit many states, especially swing states

• target audience - primaries: candidates appeal to party activists

• general election - candidates appeal to the middle wider base

winner of the popular vote in that state receives all that states delegates

• pros: They know the candidate is sooner, giving them more time to campaign

• cons: unfair, all other votes are ignored and discourages minor parties

winner-takes-all

nominees are assigned the same percentage of a states delegates as they received in the popular vote

• pros: more fair

• cons: don’t know presidential candidates until later

proportional representation

party platform

statement of principles of party and a candidate supports in order to win an election

plank

individual topics in party platform (ex: abortion)

rational choice

voting based on what is in a citizens best interest. Who will support the issues most important to me?

retrospective voting

based on candidate or party has performed in the recent past - should they be re-elected

prospective voting

based on how you think a candidate or party will perform in the furture

party-line voting

voting clearly along party lines for all offices

candidate

person running for office

incumbent

person currently holding office

nominee

person that a political party names or nominates to represent it in a general election

constituency

all of the voters in a particular district

electorate

those eligible to vote

Government's use of taxation and spending to influence the economy.

fiscal policy

set of actions to control a nation's overall money supply and achieve economic growth.

• used by U.S. federal reserve

• European central bank

monetary policy

what did the 12th amendment do?

created ticket system for president

• one vote holds 2 votes, because you’re voting for president AND VP

Is it possible to win the popular vote and not be elected president?

yes

Freedom of Speech

What is NOT a core American value?

Free enterprise

what core value would a politician running on deregulation of industry illustrate?

conservative

if that politician wanted deregulation, what political ideology would they most likely have?

equality of opportunity

a voter who believes the government should provide more financial aid for minorities, which American value is this?

rule of law

core American value - nobody’s above the government

due process

under “rule of law” what is the requirement that individuals are treated fairly by the government

individualism

Unemployed person refuses to take unemployment benefits

Civil rights legislation

NOT a core value of limited government

privacy vs. national security

support for the patriot act demonstrated this political debate

family

number 1 political socializing influence that’ll influence young voters ideologies

generational effect

experience like 9/11 leads to this type of political socialization

life cycle effect

elderly voted concerted about social security benefits relates to this type of political socialization

delegate

a person who acts as the voters' representative at a convention to select the party's nominee

primary election

an election in which a state's voters choose delegates who support a presidential candidate for nomination or an election by a plurality vote to select a party's nominee for a seat in Congress

Collectivism

giving priority to the goals of one's group (often one's extended family or work group) and defining one's identity accordingly

libertarian

One who believes in limited government interference in personal and economic liberties