Part I: Political Parties

1. Part I: Political Parties

2. Obj. 1: Political Parties and Their Purposes • ____________ _____________: • a group of people who seek to control government by ____________________ and holding __________ ________________ • Can also be people joined together based on common beliefs, BUT… • In the US, our major parties are not_________ - __________, but rather are ___________- ___________ • Two major parties in the US: • Republican • Democratic

3. 5 Major Functions of Political Parties • ____________ Candidates • Parties ________________ _________________ for public office • Then, they help candidates ____ ___________ • This is the most important function of political parties

4. __________/___________ Voters • Parties try to ________ _________ to inspire them to participate in public affairs • They do this mainly by ____________ for _______________ who are running for office • Parties will try to present their positions and candidates in as favorable a way as possible • They accomplish this by using: Pamphlets, signs, buttons, bumper stickers, TV, radio, internet (blogs), speeches, rallies, and many, many other ways….

5. “___________ _____________” • PPs try to select candidates who are ______________and who of a good, ___________ character • PPs also try to ensure that ________________________________________ • The ______________ _______________ enforces the bonding agent function: • If a party fails to put forth good candidates, or if a party defends/fails to punish bad candidates, they won’t get votes!

6. ______________________ • ______________ _____________ are regularly chosen based on their PP • Many votes in Congress and in state legislatures reflect strong _______________ - strong support of a _____________ and its ____________ ____________ • In other words, partisanship means that, on most issues… • Democrats will vote with ________________ • Republicans will vote with __________ __________ • Most ____________ are also made based on PPs • Example: A Republican President usually chooses a Republican to be Secretary of State

7. _______________________ • Political parties _______ ________ publicly on government actions • Especially if the political party is not the ________________ (party of the President) • Political Party that is NOT in power (NOT the party of the President) = “______ ____________” • they oppose the _________ in power, but they are _______ to the ____________of the nation • So, they attempt to convince the people of the nation that the party in power needs to be “________ ________” • Example: Anti-Clinton campaign ad, 1996

8. Democrats vs Republicans • ____________ govt has more power • More ___________ on businesses and the economy • _______________ regulation • __________ on social issues • ___________/____________________ have more power • _____/______regulation on businesses and the economy • No _____________ regulation • ___________ on social issues

9. Minor parties • In the US, we usually call them “___ _____________” • These candidates rarely win elections • HOWEVER, 3rd parties can still be very important in elections for 2 main reasons: • They __________ __________to issues ignored by the 2 main parties • “________ __________”: The presence of a minor party candidate causes a majority candidate to lose votes, which can tip a close election away from a candidate that otherwise would’ve won • Ex. The 2000 Election….

10. Example: 2000 Presidential election • __________ __________was on the ballot in 44 states • With 3 states too close to call (NM, OR, FL), Bush had 246 votes, Gore had 255. (270 needed to win) • Win in FL (25 votes) = Win the election • Nader received 97,421 votes in FL…Gore lost to Bush by 537 votes in FL • Nader also got 22,000 votes in NH, where Bush beat Gore by 7,000 votes • Either state (FL or NH) would have won Gore the election • About 40% of people who voted for Nader said they would have voted for Gore if Nader had not been a choice.

11. Electoral Votes, 2000 Election Bush: 271 Gore: 266 FINAL POPULAR VOTE: BUSH: 50,456,002 GORE: 50,999,897

12. 4 Types of minor parties • ________________ parties: • Based on a certain set of ___________ • They rarely get many votes, but these parties stick around for a long time • Ex: Socialist Party, Libertarian Party • ____________-____________ parties: • Focused on only one _________ __________issue • Usually fade away over time • Ex: Right to Life Party (opposes abortion)

13. _________ _____________ parties: • Develop during periods of ________________ discontent/depression to proclaim disgust with the major parties and demand better times • Disappear when _________________________ • ______________ parties: • Parties that _________ from one of the major parties • Tend to develop around candidates with strong _______________ that have failed to get nominated for office • They tend to fade away once that strong person steps aside • Ex. Bull Moose Party (Teddy Roosevelt), American Independence Party (George Wallace)

14. Significant Minor parties in the US • Libertarian Party • ____________ ($$) conservative – no taxes, no involvement with foreign countries, free market • ___________ liberal – “live and let live” mentality (pro-choice, legalize drugs, gay rights, etc.) • Ron _________ - Libertarian Presidential candidate in 1988 and 2008. He ran for the Republican ______________ in _________

15. Significant minor parties • Green Party • Fiscally and socially _______________ • Beliefs: _______________, nonviolence, social justice • Example: Ralph Nader

16. Part II: Elections: Selecting a Candidate

17. Nomination • The critical 1st step in an election process is the ________________: the selection of a person to run for _____________ • In a typical election in the US, voters go to the ballots to choose between 2 candidates: a ____________ candidate, and a ___________ candidate • Before that happens, each political party has to select (_______________) the person they think can win the election. • There are ways in which political parties nominate candidates to run for office

18. Nominating a Candidate: 5 Ways • : A person who wants to run for office simply announces it publicly. • ______________ form of nomination • Today, this is mostly used by __________ party candidates

19. : a group of people who ____________ and select candidates they will support in an upcoming election • Basically, a ___________ ____________where a few influential people choose the nominee to run in the general election • Used for Presidential elections until ________

20. By the 1820s, more and more people were ____________ the caucus system, because… • It did not allow the ___________ a say in which candidate was nominated (they didn’t get to __________) • It was too open to ______________ and abuse of power • Caucuses are not used anymore, except in some ______________ (town/city) elections. • : replaced the caucus system for a short time, but was just as open to abuses of power and corruption.

21. Primary: ______________ held within a political party to pick the party’s candidate for the ______________ election. • This is the most common method for all States for __________________candidates for office today

22. __________ Types of Direct Primaries: • ____________Primary: Only people who are registered _____________of a political party may vote in that party’s primary election • Example: In States with closed primaries, only a person who is a registered member of the Republican party can vote on the Republican ballot. • ____________ Primary: Any qualified _________ can vote in either party’s primary election. (This is the method used in ____________). Open primaries can work 1 of the following 2 ways: • In some States, you are given a ballot for each party when you get to the polling place, and you simply fill out whichever one you want – but only ________________. • In other States, like Georgia, you must _____________ one party’s ballot or the other from the attendant at the polling place.

23. ___________________ Primaries: • Primaries for the Presidential elections work very much the same as primaries for all other elections EXCEPT…. • The votes for each candidate are used to select __________________ for that candidate who will vote at the political party’s national ___________. • The delegates’ votes at the convention are what actually ______________the Presidential _________________ for that party.

24. _______________: Candidates are nominated by petitions ______________ by a certain number of qualified voters • Used mostly at the local level for ____________ elections (elections where candidates are not identified by party _____________) • The higher up (more important) an office is, the more _________________ that are required for a person to get on the ballot

25. Part III: Voting and Voter Behavior

26. What do the following four men all have in common? • A. Andrew Jackson • B. Samuel Tilden • C. Grover Cleveland • D. Al Gore Answer: • They all won the ______________, but did not become ____________________ • Popular vote: the actual number of _____________ people’s votes for a candidate

27. 1824 • Popular Vote Andrew Jackson 41% John Q. Adams 31% William Crawford 11% Henry Clay 13% • Electoral College Votes (131 needed to win) Jackson 99 votes Adams 84 votes Crawford 41 votes Clay 37 votes Winner: _____________________ * Adams was elected by House of Representatives when Jackson did not receive a majority of the Electoral votes

28. 1876 • Popular Vote Samuel Tilden 51% R. B. Hayes 48% • Electoral College Votes Tilden 184 Hayes 185 Winner: __________________

29. 1888 • Popular Vote Grover Cleveland 48.5 % Benjamin Harrison 47.8 % • Electoral College Votes Cleveland 168 Harrison 233 Winner: ______________________

30. 2000 • Popular Vote Albert Gore 48.7% George W. Bush 48.5% • Electoral College Vote Gore 266 Bush 271 Winner: ___________________ But how can this happen?!

31. The Electoral College • When we vote in a Presidential election, we are not _____________ voting for the Presidential _______________ themselves. • We are voting for ___________ to the ___________ _____________. Those electors ______________ to vote for the candidate that wins in more districts. • These electors form what is called the Electoral College and are the people who officially __________ the President.

32. Each state gets electors based on its representation in __________________ 2 + # of representatives in the______________ = total # electoral votes • Remember that the number of representatives in the House for each State is determined by the overall _______________ of that State • 1 representative for every 650,000 people • The State is divided in to __________________ based on the number of representatives that State has. Each representative represents 1 district • Example: Based on Georgia’s population, we get ___ representatives to the House of Representatives • Georgia is divided in to ________ districts – each representative is elected by the people in that district. • HOW MANY ELECTORS DOES GEORGIA HAVE? ____________

33. How does it work? • The candidate that wins in the most voting ____________ in the state wins ____________ of that state’s electoral votes. • So, If one candidate wins 49% of districts, and the other wins 51%, the winner (usually*) gets 100% (ALL) of the state’s electoral votes • Only Maine and Nebraska divide electoral votes up between candidates, meaning if a candidate wins in 3 out of 5 total districts, he/she gets 3 out of 5 electoral college votes, not all 5 like he would in every other State. • The state’s _______________ are trusted to give their votes to the winning candidate of that state • The Presidential candidate who wins the most electoral college____ – NOT the most individual votes (popular vote) – wins the election and becomes President.

34. ____ total votes • Candidate needs 270 to win • The ______ Largest (by population) States in the US = _____ total votes • So, a candidate can technically win an election, but lose in ____ out of 50 states • LIST THE 11 STATES WITH THE LARGEST # OF VOTES:

35. Why was it Created? • People back then were not _______________ enough to select a President (poor _________________). • This was a _____________ that gave the ____________ a voice in choosing the President • To maintain _________________balance

36. What are the drawbacks to the Electoral College? • Encourages ________ voter ___________ • Diminishes ___________ party influence • Person with most popularvotes may not _____________ • Leads to ______________, insincere voting

37. Why low voter turnout? • __________________ system = whoever gets the majority of the _______________ votes in a State wins ALL of the electoral votes • Remember, whoever wins the_____largest states can win • So, if a person gets _______% of the __________ vote (in a two person race) in a State, he/she usually gets _____% of the ___________ votes for that State. • Therefore, many people feel that their vote does not __________and choose to not vote.

38. History of voting rights • Framers specifically left (the right to ______) _______________ up to the States • When the Constitution was ratified, only __________ male owners could vote • Since then, we have gradually removed many ______________ on suffrage in the US

39. Extending Suffrage: 5 Stages • Early ________: removal of , tax payment, and ownership restrictions. Most adult white men could vote by mid-1800s • Post-__________ War: th amendment said no citizen could be denied suffrage based on ________________. • __________ – 19th amendment, _____________’s suffrage • ____________ – During Civil Rights Movement, many policies were passed to ensure black equality, including the Voting Rights Act of 1965 • ________: 26th amendment, lowered voting age to 18

40. Voter Qualifications • The power to set voting laws is a __________ power, but there are 3____________ Voting Requirements that all States enforce: • : Aliens (___________-born residents who have not become citizens) are generally not allowed to vote. • : You must be a legal ____________ of the State where you are voting. • Prevents politicians from bringing outsiders in to affect the outcome of the election • States choose how _________ one must live there to be considered a resident • : No state can set a voting age higher than ______

41. Other Common Voter Qualifications • Registration: In almost all States, each voter must officially register his/her _________, _________, birthplace, present ______________, length of residence, etc. in the _____________ in which he/she wishes to vote • Put in place to prevent __________________ • Once you register, you stay registered unless you ___________, die, etc. • Downside of registration: • Low _____________________ • Impacts __________________ negatively • Can be ______________/_______________, though States have tried to make it easier (example: GA Motor Voter Law)

42. Qualifications… • Other Qualifications that have been outlawed: • tests (used in some states until _______) • Taxes (used in the South to discourage ___________________from voting after the passage of the _____th amendment) • You can be denied if you…. • Are a convicted _____________ • In a mental institution or have been declared legally ________________ • Have been dishonorably_______________from the military

43. Voter Behavior in the US • What is the average turnout for Presidential elections in the US? _______________ • What is the average turnout for Congressional elections (aka “off-year elections”) in the US? • “ voters”: people who vote in ______________________ elections, but do not participate in • elections (______________ elections held in the even-numbered years between presidential elections) • Or ____________/_______________elections – elections for State and local offices, referenda on State/local issues, etc. Time of year/frequency varies by State • “ fatigue”: the further down the ballot an _______________ is, the fewer the number of ___________ that will be cast for it • In other words, people just vote for the major ____________, and then stop instead of completing the entire ballot

44. Nonvoters: Why People Do Not Vote • “ -Voters” – people who cannot vote, but are included in voter ____________ ___________________ • Resident ______________ • Sick/elderly/disabled • Those in __________ or in mental institutions • Certain ___________________ prohibit voting • Those who cannot take off of _______________ • Some discriminatory practices still exist that keep groups from being able to vote

45. Why People Do Not Vote • Actual Nonvoters – Those who make excuses!! • Low __________ __________= “My vote doesn’t matter” • Political efficacy: a person’s feeling of their own ______________ in politics • Laziness = “Voting is a pain! You have to register, wait in line, fill out a long ballot….ugh!” • “____________ fall-out” = Once the people on the ____________ coast see the results from the _____________ coast elections on TV, they don’t vote because they figure the election has already been ____________. • Voter apathy = lack of __________ or ___________ in the outcome of an election. “I just don’t care”

46. Voters vs Nonvoters – Who tends to vote and why? • Voters: • higher levels of ______________ • higher-level ________________ • higher ____________________ • Nonvoters: • Under ___________ yrs old • unmarried • unskilled/lower-level jobs • _______________are more likely to vote than _______________ • People in ________________are more likely to vote than people in rural areas

47. Political Socialization • : the process through which we gain our political attitudes and opinions • Starts when you are __________________and continues through your whole life • Involves all of the _________________and _________________that shape your view of politics • There are many factors that shape and influence our political views, such as….

48. Income and Occupation More likely to vote for ________________…. More likely to vote for _______________… Higher ____________ ________-collar corporate jobs Lower ____________ _______-collar labor jobs

49. Education A little tricky, because the __________educated AND __________ educated tend to vote for Democrats • More likely to vote for _______________: • No High School diploma • Just a High School diploma • ____________ degree (Masters/PhD) • More likely to vote for _____________: • Some college • ______________ (Bachelor’s degree)

50. Gender/Age Tend to vote for Democrats…. Tend to vote for Republicans… _____________ ___________ voters (under 30) ______________ ___________ voters (50+)