Unit 3 - Political Parties and Elections

Question 1

Anthony Downs

Answer 1

“Team of men (and women) seeking control the governing apparatus by gaining in a duly constituted election”

Question 2

Edmund Burke

Answer 2

“An organized assembly of men, united for working together for a national interest, according to the particular principle they agreed upon.”

Question 3

One- Party System

Answer 3

• The party IS the government
• Communist - socialist
• Cuba, Vietnam, North Korea, Afghanistan
• Iraq under Sadaam
• If you are in the party, you are government, it is beneficial because you have full control and can act quickly, If you are not in the group, there is no chance of you getting in power, they are less beneficial for you.

Question 4

Multi- Party Systems

Answer 4

• Many INFLUENTIAL parties
• Germany - 6 parties
• Sweden - 7 parties

form a coalition government,
- form a coalition from compromising with other groups.

Question 5

Two- Party Systems

Answer 5

two MAIN parties
- May be countless minor parties/candidates

• In the US
• Most time one of the two main parties win

Question 6

What are the tasks of the party

Answer 6

Recruit Candidates
- Decide who we get to vote for

Educate public
- Tell us ideas and why we should
like them

Operate the government
- Run the government and get ideas in motion

Dispense “Patronage”
- Help the people that helped you get there

Loyal Opposition 👎🏼 (less present today)
- Represent those NOT represented by the majority

Reduction of conflict 👎🏼 (less present today)
- Compromise so the government can work

Question 7

3 types of third parties

Answer 7

Single Issue
Ideological
Splinter

Question 8

What is a Single issue party

Answer 8

• Party only concerned with 1 issue
• Parties devoted to legislation
• Free soil party - first party devoted solely to ending
  slavery
• not very likely to make voting waves, though brings up
  interesting points.

Question 9

What is a ideological party

Answer 9

• Overall Systemic change

- Socialist party

Question 10

What is a Splinter party

Answer 10

• Breaks off from major party
• Progressive aka bull moose party
• Ex: Roosevelt

Question 11

Positive impacts of 3rd parties

Answer 11

• Bring up controversial issues (big parties cannot do that with the risk of loosing votes)
• Much freer to speak mind
• Give a way to disagree with “politics as usual”
• Reinforce “democracy”

Question 12

Negative impacts of 3rd parties

Answer 12

• lots time and effort running with very little to show for it
• “Spoiler effect” - may “steal” votes away from more ideologically similar major candidate. (might steal votes from a similar “buddy” major party that might need the votes.)

Question 13

Obstacles of 3rd parties

Answer 13

• Cost
• Appeal
• Name Recognition

Question 14

3 types of elections

Answer 14

Primaries - Pre-election elections to choose candidates. not the next president, but who gets on the ballot. Each parties nominee for the larger election.

General Elections - Actually picking people for office
18 y/o, non-felon

Policy Questions -

Question 15

What is the alternative to the pre-elections that a few states still practice?

Answer 15

Caucus meetings

In general, primaries use secret ballots for voting. Caucuses are local gatherings of voters who vote at the end of the meeting for a particular candidate. Then it moves to nominating conventions, during which political parties each select a nominee to unite behind.

Question 16

3 types of elections

Answer 16

Primaries - Pre-election elections to choose candidates. not the next president, but who gets on the ballot. Each parties nominee for the larger election.

General Elections - Actually picking people for office
18 y/o, non-felon

Policy Questions -
- Process of Referendum, puts policy question to
voters.

Question 17

3 types of elections

Answer 17

Primaries - Pre-election elections to choose candidates. not the next president, but who gets on the ballot. Each parties nominee for the larger election.

General Elections - Actually picking people for office
18 y/o, non-felon

Policy Questions -
- Process of Referendum, puts policy question to
voters.

Question 18

Define:

Platform

Answer 18

A statement of a party’s official stand on major public issues. Political Party. organization of citizens who wish to influence governments by getting their members elected. Precincts.

Question 19

3 types of elections

Answer 19

Primaries - Pre-election elections to choose candidates. not the next president, but who gets on the ballot. Each parties nominee for the larger election.

General Elections - Actually picking people for office
requirements 18 y/o, non-felon

Policy Questions -
- Process of Referendum, puts policy question to
voters.
- Initiative - props

Question 20

Recall

Answer 20

Citizens vote to remove elected officials before the end of their term.

Question 21

What is a political party

Answer 21

A political party is an organized group of people or bodies who seek to capture political power through an election in order to run the affairs of a country. It often puts forward candidates for public office.

Question 22

What is a third party

Answer 22

In electoral politics, a third party is any party contending for votes that failed to outpoll either of its two strongest rivals. The distinction is particularly significant in two-party systems.

Question 23

What are the factors influencing voters decisions

Answer 23

hi

Question 24

Why did the framers of the constitution create the electoral collage method of selecting a president rather than using the popular vote?

Answer 24

Framers did not trust voters, wanted to keep the power of voting to the elites, educated people, people with political knowledge. Lots of uneducated people, did not want them to make a bad choice.

Question 25

How many electoral votes is there available?

How many do you need to win?

Answer 25

• 538 total electoral votes

- 270 votes or more to win

Question 26

What is the “Winner-take-all” method of allocating electors/electoral votes?

Answer 26

• Each state has power to determine how to distribute electoral votes,
• 48 states determined that whoever gets majority votes in the state, ALL of the electoral votes that state offers will go to that one candidate.

Question 27

How does an electoral college work?

Answer 27

• Prez gets elected based on states, not individuals
• The individual votes in a state get counted towards who will the state vote for.
• Each state has power to determine how to distribute electoral votes

Question 28

What is Perception in politics?

Answer 28

Perception is as important as reality in campaigning. Campaigns regularly engage in “spin” - controlling communications and media turning media coverage in your favor.

Question 29

What is an electoral college?

Answer 29

• Each state allotted number of electors based on number of representatives and senators. MN: 8 reps + 2 sen = 10 electoral votes.
• Electors are individuals chosen by each party in each state.