chapter 4 Flashcards
organizations that seek to achieve power by winning office (elections)
political parties
political organizations concerned with public policy and involved in the electoral process only to further those policy aims
interest groups
according to this model, parties are essential to making the government responsive to public opinion
Responsible Party Model
parties should present clear and coherent programs to who?
the voters
who holds the government responsible at the next election for executing its program?
the voters
they want to win elections so they can pursue their agenda
political parties
law that states when using plurality elections + single member districts, it would be a psychological effect on the voter and candidate
Duverger’s Law
would rather compromise their principles than lose elections (would do whatever it takes to win)
brokerage parties
would rather lose elections than compromise their principles (this is what you believe in, if you don’t like it, join another party)
ideological parties
what were the first two American Parties?
The Federalists (Hamilton) and Jeffersonian Republicans
occurs when a new party supplants the ruling party, and caused by new issues and new voters (also known as critical elections)
an electoral realignment
do Texans typically vote for high number of offices, or low number of offices?
high number of offices
due to this, voters choose candidates - not the parties
primary elections
50% + 1 vote
majority elections
most votes wins
plurality elections
single member districts have how many parties
2 parties
who writes election rules
state legislatures
who is associated with cartel parties
Peter Mair
we have always been dominated by how many parties?
2 parties
how many critical elections are there in history so far? what are they?
4 critical elections; 1860, 1896, 1932, 1968
what’s important about the 1860 election?
slavery
what’s important about the 1896 election?
Bi-Metalism
what’s important about the 1932 election?
state/local government vs. federal government
whats important about the 1968 election?
breakup of the solid south
most people start to have an idea about which party they are affiliated with at what age?
8 years old
primary election where you can vote for either party
open primary
primary election where you vote only for the party your registered with
closed primary
primary election where there is no majority and the top 2 candidates advance
Runoff primary
type of voting where you only vote for one party
straight ticket voting
type of voting where you vote for different parties
split ticket voting
who has the lowest vote turnouts in Texas?
Latinos
for nearly a century after the Civil War, which party dominated southern politics?
The Democratic Party
an identifiable subgroup within a political party
Faction
states that its ideology is a mix of liberalism and conservatism, and corresponds to what is called liberal conservatism
moderate
variously defined as a voter who votes for candidates on issues rather than on the basis of a political ideology or partisanship
independent
platform where voters can get a better sense of what the party stands for
party platform
what is becoming more pronounced in the Texas legislature?
Partisan polarization
occurs in our early years
political socialization
Texans are increasingly identifying as what?
independent
in general, cities are mostly what party, and rural areas are which party?
democrat; republican
which race mostly made the switch from democrat to republican
white voters
perform functions through party organization, party in the electorate, and party in the government
political parties
consists of people who identify with the party and consider themselves members (the voter)
Party in the electorate
political party’s mechanism for establishing cooperation among separate branches of government (representative)
Party in the government
whichever party wins the presidential election, they seem to be more successful
Coat-tails
off year elections that are dedicated to voting for congress members
midterm elections
which state employs a “first past the post” single member district electoral system
Texas
a term used to describe a voting pattern in which voters vote Republican for president and Democrat for state offices
Presidential Republicanism
