Chapter 7: Parties & Competition Flashcards
Political Parties
play larger role in state elections (than local); local elections are often non-partisan: candidates’ party affiliations not included on ballot
Description of Interest Groups
formal, organized; role more visible at state level than in local politics – conflicts bigger there and so are opportunities for wider impacts
How do Political Parties and Interest Groups Compare?
parties need large numbers: generates votes at polls, votes in legislature; interest groups can use money to compensate for size (role amplified by SC’s citizens united decision in 2010), parties become less important in politics, while interest groups become more so
What Do Parties Do?
parties are more visible during election seasons, but are functioning all the time in 3 ways
3 Functions of Parties
Constituent Functions, Information Functions, Government Functions
Constituent Functions - Political Parties
select candidates for ballot via primaries; formal process governed by state and federal law; support selected candidates for office
Information Functions - Political Parties
develop a program and educate public; establish set of beliefs – nearly comprehensive; set out policy goals and programs for gov’t
Government Functions - Political Parties
winners organize gov’t, legislatures, and caucuses; get legislative committee assignments largely by party; governor makes appointments largely by party; judges tend to render similar decisions by party
Why Only 2 Political Parties?
winner-take-all elections system blocks out third parties; no proportional representation in our system; to win, parties just have to attract more support than competition
Many General Elections Are Uncompetitive?
yes, general elections for state legislature seats are considered “safe races” for one major party
Do Primary Elections Matter?
to win a partisan office, candidates must win 2 different elections: primary and general; primary elections winnow a filed of candidates who all want that major party’s monition down to a single nominee that will go on to the general election
Primaries + Uncompetitive General Elections = ?
primaries are disproportionately important when followed by uncompetitive general elections; therefore, when a general election rave will be uncompetitive, the winner is predetermined by the associated primary election
Another Problem with Primary Elections
absence of competition in general elections leads directly to representatives who have no rational reason to compromise with other party
Closed Primary
voters must declare party by a given deadline in advance to vote in its primary; may only vote in that party’s primary
Semi-Closed Primary
voters with a declared party may only vote in that party’s primary; voters without a declared party may vote in either primary
Open Primary
voters may choose to vote in either primary, regardless of their party affiliation; may not vote in both
Top 2 Primary
uses a combined ballot that lists all candidates from all parties; voters get one voter per office, regardless of party affiliation; top 2 candidates go to general elections, regardless of party affiliation
Mixed Primaries
not a type of primary; indicated that the 2 parties in the state use different forms of primaries
Low Turnout Can Be Good For A Leading GOP Candidate
the more votes a state-wide Republican candidate receives, the lower the probability they will win the election in TX
Lower Turnout Can Be Good For Parties in Power
parties in power tend to seek low turnout in elections for state-wide offices when they have a minority in the potential electorate; definitely want to also avoid any controversy that would stimulate high turnout from the opposing party
What Are Interest Groups?
orgs of people who share one or more interest; no need to balance/find middle ground; work to influence political system and policy outcomes
What Do Interest Groups Do?
interest groups are most active between election seasons, but are busy all the time in 3 ways: constituent function, information function, and government function
Constituent Function - Interest Groups
limited; do not select candidates but support candidates; can and do support both contestants for same office
Information Function - Interest Groups
beliefs usually not comprehensive in scope; primary target is group members rather than entire public
Government Function - Interest Groups
DO NOT organize gov’t; DOES provide information to gov’t for specific policy goals; DOES provide a large percentage of state and national election campaign funds
Interest Group Assets
wealth, expertise, and status
Pecking Order of Interest Groups in TX
business types of IGs, Occupational types of IGs, Ethnic/Racial IGs
To Lobby
to attempt to influence policy makers face-to-face
Political Action Committees (PACs)
formed an interest groups, industry or individual for the purpose of collecting money and then contributing that money to selected political candidates and causes; concentrates financial clout of large numbers of individuals and influences public policy more effectively than can a single, ordinary individual; only some states limit the amount of money that PACs can contribute to sate campaigns; politicians often listen and cater to private interests of PACs, as opposed to public interests of the masses
Advantages of Interest Groups
communicates with gov’t year-round, information source, high intensity of preferences stay focused on its issues, independent of geography, exert rapidly increasing greater influence than parties
Disadvantages of Interest Groups
over-represent narrow segments of our political society, provide biased information to both gov’t and public, can feed gridlock in legislatures
