w10 parties elections & campaigns

political parties represents

citizen’s values, ideologies, interest

how are political parties structured during campaign

platforms for citizens to choose is created, and parties recruit members and create party policy to mobilize voters

electoral system

a set of laws that regulate electoral comp between candidates/parties to determine the # of seats available in an election when voters casts ballot then votes are translated into seats

SMDP/FPTP

under the majoritarian branch where voters check their top option which is easier as it results in less competitive parties

Majoritarian electoral system

candidate or parties that receive the most vote wins

proportional representation

voters vote for the party than candidates hence parties receive seat in portion to their overall share of the vote in that district

mixed electoral system

voters elect representative using 2 system of majoritarian and proportional

alternative vote /instant run-off/ ranked choice

allows voters to give ranking of all candidates with the winner who has majority of their vote while the least vote their ballots are redistributed to other candidates

collective action in parties

groups or legislator may form based on shared policy preferences, and agreement to cooperation through interaction (tit for tat) ensures collective benefit of passing or not passing bills

parties as long coalitions

group of dif party working together to support individual bill causing difficulties of not agreeing all the time that is costly in time energy and resources

party cohesion

elected party members work together to achieve collective goals

party discipline

tools that party leaders enforce cohesion e.g reward loyalty, punish bad behaviour

why people run with a party

there is branding which serves as a visual identity + shortcut for voters to learn info abt candidate, and a team to mobilize/promote voters, and avoid the costs behind campaigns

do campaigns matter

not often in US, thought most of the time yes they provide visual branding and a cue that allows voters to know what the party is associated with, thought partisanship is the key driver of vote choice

how does social media play a role in campaigning

concerns of misinformation, incivility, fragmented media landscape which encourage dif behaviour, and foreign interference

campaign since 1970s

constant fundraising, understanding public opinion polls and citizen preferences

campaign

period of time as date of election is known, identity of candidate is known and they spend time to get elected

Campaign activity

advertising, voter outreach (door knock/email), public events, televised debates

what are the functions of campaigns

persuasion, priming, informing, mobilizing

persuasion as a function of campaign

voters may change their mind abt who to vote

priming as a function of campaigns

voters may see certain issues as priorities

informing as a function of campaigns

voters may learn abt candidates and issues

mobilizing as a function of campaigns

voters may change their mind abt whether to vote or not

how does electoral system affect campaigning

There is a focus on swing districts that has more money and events in ridings they can win or lose narrowly, candidates try to appeal to the median voter to win a plurality, Candidate-focused campaigns since voters vote for individuals in single-member districts, third-party voters often are pressured to vote strategically, so parties tailor messages to avoid “vote-splitting.”

how does parties solve collective action problem

coordinating politicians with similar policy preferences + provide voters with cues to make decisions more easily

how do parties play a role for voters decision

governing and helping voters navigate elections especially giving shortcuts