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1. Political Parties Linkage Institution
3. Goal of a Political Party? WIN ELECTIONS
4. Function of Parties Connecting citizens to government (linkage institution)
-Political Efficacy citizen participation level and awareness of government decisions
Run candidates for political office
Inform the public help voters decide who to vote for in elections
Organizing government coordinate government policy-making
5. Why 2 parties? Winner-take-all system
Winner receives a seat while loser receives nothing
3rd party usually joins one of other parties
Opposite Proportional Representation % of votes is directly applied as the % of representatives
6. Grass Roots Grass Roots parties can also reach the voters personally and get-out-the-vote on a local level
7. Minor Parties Third Parties have played a role in politics
Types
Individual personality those dominated by one figure head (Ex. 1912 Theodore Roosevelt Bull-Moose, 1968 George Wallace American Independent Party)
Long-lasting goal or ideology (Ex. Abolitionists, Prohibitionists, Socialists)
8. Party Identification Dealignment weak membership, more independents or moderates popular trend in the last 50 years
Strait ticket voting strong party membership, support all candidates for one party
Ticket splitting voting for candidates from multiple parties
9. Realignment? Gridlock Congress and Presidency controlled by different parties
2004 - Republican sweep of Congress and Presidency - party loyalty stronger?
2006 - split the Presidency and Congress again
2008 - might bring a Democratic sweep