Unit 3: Politics in Action

for mr. goodell

political parties

organized groups of people who share similar political beliefs and goals, aiming to influence government policy and gain political power through elections.

crucial role in democratic systems by representing diverse interests and facilitating political participation.

partisanship

strong, often blind allegiance to a particular political party or group. It can influence opinions, decisions, and behaviors, leading individuals to prioritize party loyalty over objective analysis or bipartisan cooperation.

can manifest in various forms, including voting patterns, media consumption, and public discourse.

two-party system

a political system in which two major political parties dominate the electoral landscape.

often leads to a stable government but can limit the representation of diverse political views, as smaller parties struggle to gain traction.

emerged in the 18th century (federalists v democratic-republicans)

nomination

the process by which political parties select candidates to run for public office. This can occur through primaries, caucuses, or conventions, where party members or delegates choose their preferred candidate to represent the party in elections.

primary elections

preliminary elections in which voters select candidates to represent a political party in the general election.

political caucus

meetings of members of a political party or faction to discuss and decide on policy, select candidates, or strategize for elections.

formal or informal gatherings and often play a crucial role in the nomination process for political offices.

platform for grassroots organizing and mobilizing party members.

party organization

the structured system of a political party, including its leadership, committees, and membership.

encompasses the processes for recruiting members, fundraising, campaigning, and coordinating activities to achieve political goals.

national conventions

large gatherings of political party members in a country, typically held to nominate candidates for upcoming elections, establish party platforms, and unify party members.

These events often include speeches, debates, and the adoption of party rules. In the United States, crucial for presidential elections, where delegates formally select their party's nominee.

political platforms

formal sets of principles and goals that a political party or candidate advocates for during an election. They outline the party's stance on various issues, such as the economy, healthcare, education, and foreign policy.

soft money

funds raised by political parties for activities that do not directly support a specific candidate, such as party-building activities and voter registration drives.

less restricted, allowing parties to raise unlimited amounts from individuals and organizations. However, the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002 imposed restrictions to national parties.

majority party

substantial influence in a country's politics, standing in contrast to a minor party

minority party

a political party that does not have a majority of seats in a legislative body. In a two-party system, it typically refers to the party that holds fewer seats compared to the majority party.

can influence legislation, represent specific interests, and provide alternative viewpoints. They often work to gain more support in future elections.

electoral realignment

significant and lasting shift in the political landscape, often characterized by changes in party systems, voter demographics, and political ideologies.

critical elections can lead to the emergence of new political parties or the reconfiguration of existing ones. Historical examples include the New Deal coalition in the 1930s and the Southern realignment in the 1960s.

party polarization

the growing ideological distance and division between political parties, leading to increased partisanship.

result in gridlock in governance and a decrease in bipartisan cooperation.

third parties

political parties other than the two dominant parties in a political system. They often emerge to represent specific issues or ideologies and can impact elections by drawing votes away from major parties.

democratic national committee

the formal governing body for the Democratic Party in the United States.

• Functions:

  • Organizes the party's national convention.

  • Coordinates fundraising and campaign strategies.

  • Supports Democratic candidates at all levels.

• Establishment: Founded in 1848, it plays a crucial role in shaping party policies and platforms.

republican national committee

the principal organization for the Republican Party in the United States. It is responsible for promoting the party's platform, coordinating fundraising, and organizing national conventions.

Key Functions:

• Fundraising for Republican candidates

• Organizing national conventions

• Developing party strategies and policies

Established:1856

proportional representation system

seats in government are allocated to political parties based on their share of the total vote cast

linkage institutions

channel that connects people with the government - keeping people informed and trying to shape public opinion and policy

geographic single-member districts

electoral districts that elect one representative, where each district corresponds to a single legislative seat.

winner-take-all elections

electoral system where the candidate with the most votes wins; there is no proportional representation for runners-up

plurality voting

voting system where the candidate only needs to receive the most votes to win, regardless of whether they achieve a majority

incentive to avoid third-party candidates

tendency of voters to refrain from voting for third-party candidates due to the belief that their vote may be wasted in a system where only one party can realistically win

functions of political parties

• create leaders to run for political office

• create competition among candidates

• educate the public on policies and issues

• make policy and govern

candidate recruitment

process by which political parties seek and encourage individuals to run for local, state, and national office

recruitment criteria

standards used by parties to select candidates, including loyalty to the party platform and the ability to raise campaign funding

loyalty to party platform

candidate’s commitment to the beliefs and policies advocated by their political party

fundraising ability

capacity of a candidate to secure financial support for their election campaign, essential for viability

challenges in candidate recruitment

difficulties faced by political parties in finding competitive candidates, often due to changing political landscapes and public perception

difficulty in finding candidates

increased political polarization, negative campaigning, and the high cost of running for office make it hard for parties to identify and attract viable candidates

competitive candidates factors

• high investment to campaign

• intense scrutiny on social media in the press

• need to handle negative campaign ads run by opponents

single candidate strategy

approach by political parties to nominate only one candidate for the general election to avoid splitting votes among party members

vote splitting

multiple candidates from the same party run for office, potentially reducing the overall votes for the party and allowing opposing candidates to win

general election ballot

official list of candidates that voters can choose from during the general election

party unity

cohesive front among party members, ensuring that voters are consolidated behind a single candidate to maximize electoral chances

internal nomination

process by which political parties select their candidates for the general election, often through primaries or caucuses

open primary

primary election in which registered voters can choose to participate in any party’s primary regardless of their own party affiliation

closed primary

primary election in which only registered party members can vote to select their party’s candidate

semi-closed primary

primary election where registered party members can vote in their own party’s primary, while unaffiliated voters may choose which party primary to participate in

voter mobilization

efforts by political parties and organizations to encourage and assist voters in participating in elections at all levels

ways of voter mobilization

voter registration by nonprofit organizations, local community groups, mail notices, call voters, knock on doors, sick burns on twitter

voter mobilization as a science

mass use of computerized databases, data mining, social media, and other micro-targeting techniques have all modernized the American Political System

party organization

formal structure of a political party, including leadership, election committees, active members, and paid staff

functions of national conventions

• nominate official candidates for president and vice president in upcoming election

• establish party rules

• adopt party’s platform

• held every 4 years attended by delegates from every state

• media event to promote party’s candidates

• determine party rules

• approve party platform

2002 Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (BCRA)

Outlawed soft money to political parties, to circumvent this parties establish Super PACs as sources of outside money

super PAC

an independent expenditure-only committee that can raise and spend unlimited amounts of money to advocate for or against political candidates. They cannot coordinate directly with candidates or parties but can engage in political advertising and other forms of advocacy.

wedge issues

issues that polarize the fundamental differences between positions of democrats and republicans

examples of wedge issues

immigration, military spending, social programs, tax policies, economic intervention, abortion, infrastructure spending

1st party system

1790s: federalists vs democratic-republicans (jeffersonians)

key issues: location of capital, financial issues

federalists

• hamilton & adams

• strong central government & bank

• protective tariffs

• powerful navy

• favored businesses & wealthy

• support from NY and new england

• loose interp of constitution

• forgive states’ war debts

democrat-republicans

• southern agricultural interests

• party of jefferson & madison

• weak central government

• state banks

• minimal navy

• democracy for farmers, craftsmen and “ordinary people”

• free trade

• friendship with france

2nd party system

1830s: democrats vs whigs

key issues: tariffs (farmers v merchants), slavery

andrew jackson

• 2nd party system guy

• gains fame & political success to widen the “common man electorate” of the democratic party

whig party

• groups opposing “king jackson” united to form new political force

• widened voting population by eliminating property qualifications

• couldn’t win elections

• dissolved in 1856 because they couldn’t agree on policy towards slavery

3rd party system

problems of the civil war: republicans vs democrats

key issues: slavery, reconstruction, industrialization

new republican party

• 1860

• nominated abraham lincoln

• south secedes → civil war

reconstruction

• 1865 - 1880s

• union republicans strip southern democrats of political powers and set up system of checks for readmission

• programs fail in 1870s

  • former confederate political systems to regain full control of internal state affairs & party politics

  • african americans still deprived of political rights

4th party system

the gilded & progressive eras: republicans v democrats

key issues: industrialization & immigration

gilded & progressive eras

rapid social/economic changes that led to variety of 3rd parties to form - challenging old political status quo

populist party

rises with appeal to small farmers and urban workers

successful in 1892 w james weaver carrying 4 states in pres election

1896 merges w democratic party

republican party

nation’s majority party in 1896 - 1932

american business growth, low taxes, high tariffs, minimum government regulation

5th party system

new deal system - reversal of fortune - republicans v democrats

after roaring 20s (great depression)

key issues: size & scope of federal government

new deal agenda

1932 when americans elected FDR & solidly democratic congress

roosevelt pushed this with premises of economic management and social welfare

new deal coalition

made democrats the majority party until the 1960s

• unionized workers

• upper-middle class intellectuals/professionals

• southern farmers

• jews & catholics

• african americans

6th party system

contemporary american system

2nd half of 20th century

no party has true “majority” of population and parties continued to be split by major issues

key issues: size & scope of fg, civil rights, social issues, foreign policy

southern strategy

1970s - 1980s

nixon’s agenda that pulls old southern democrats to the gop

reagan’s coalition

broad coalition of voters in the 1980s, including religious conservatives, that contribute to republican party’s electoral successes

causes of realignment

• new political issues

• economic or politics crisis

• mobilization of new voters

critical elections

elections that reveal sharp, lasting changes in loyalties to political parties

examples of critical elections

1800 - jefferson

1828 - jackson

1860 - lincoln

1896 - mckinley

1932 - fdr

current third parties power

exist as protest movements to promote specific issues

absorption as a means of policy impact

represent social/economic interests not given voice by two major parties

ranked choice voting

electoral system where voters rank candidates in order of preference, allowing for more nuanced choices rather than a single vote

benefits of ranked choice voting

more civility in political campaigns

fewer negative tactics

more cooperation among candidates who seek to be voter’s second choice

frequency of congressional elections

every 2 years

midterm elections

congressional elections that don’t coincide with presidential election

state, county, and city election boards

• establish and staff polling locations

• process mail-in ballots

• verify eligibility of oters

state laws on elections

• photo id requirements

• early voting periods

• voter registration deadlines

• mail-in eligibility

ideological extremes in caucuses

caucus attendees often hold more polarized views, typically leaning toward far-left or far-right ideologies, relative to broader electorate

2000 presidential election

controversy with punch card system led to voting/counting errors

2003 help americans vote act (hava)

require states to introduce computerized voting systems

geographic legislative districts

house of representatives, state legislatures, city council members (for big cities) elected not by the full body of voters

redistricting

process of redrawing election districts every 10 years by states to reflect population changes (determined by US census)

one person, one vote

principle that requires districts to include roughly equal populations

gerrymandering

apportionment of voters in districts in such a way as to give unfair advantage to one racial or ethnic group or political party

cracking

redistricting strategy that dilutes voting power by spreading a group across multiple districts

packing

redistricting strategy that concentrates a particular group of voters into a single district to minimize influence on other districts

baker v carr (1961)

ap scotus case that the equal protection clause requires legislative district boundaries to be draw to have roughly the same number of constituents under the principle of “one man, one vote”

14th amendment equal protection clause

Presidential Race

A competitive process where candidates vie for the office of President of the United States, involving a series of primaries, caucuses, and the general election.

Invisible Primary

The period before the official start of the primary elections where potential candidates build support and name recognition through fundraising, media appearances, and grassroots efforts.

Campaign Tour

A series of public appearances by candidates across the country to connect with voters, share their platforms, and build momentum.

Presidential elections special rules

• Electoral college instead of popular vote

• Party conventions for Republicans and Democrats

• Conventions = Celebration for nominees

front-loading

moving up of presidential primaries and caucuses by states thereby increasing their influence in the selection of party’s candidate. as a result, presidential nominees are often determined early in the election year.

citizens united v federal election commission

ap scotus case that struck down the brca, partially overturns it by allowing unregulated political independent expenditures by a non-profit organization.

superdelegates

Party elites who have the freedom to vote for any candidate at the convention, regardless of primary results; their influence has been reduced in recent years to increase the weight of the popular vote.

process of electoral college

# of electors are allocated to each state based on size of state’s congressional delegation (senators + HOR members)

large population states therefore get more votes in electoral college

permanent apportionment act of 1929

method for apportioning seats in the U.S. House of Representatives among the states based on the decennial census. It fixed the total number of representatives at 435 and introduced a formula to allocate these seats, ensuring that each state received at least one representative. This act aimed to provide a more stable and predictable system for congressional representation.

winner of electoral college

by majority, not plurality

candidate who wins at least 270/538 electoral votes, but allocation of electors by each state is a winner-take-all system.

each state awards all of its electors to the candidate who receives the most votes in the state.

benefits of winner-take-all system

encourages presidential candidates to focus their time and effort disproportionately on battleground states with larger populations

winner of electoral college did not win popular vote

hayes (1874), cleveland (1888), w. bush (2000), trump (2016)

how to change electoral college system

takes an amendment, but the constitution allows states to choose method of selecting elector allocation.

maine and nebraska allow for proportional allocation of electors, not winner-take-all