Unit 4 Flashcards
Political Party
A group of people who seek to control the government through winning elections and holding public office
Party Platform
Their stance on the issues (liberal, conservative, or both)
Major Party( what are they also known as)
“Big tent Parties”
Ex: democrats and republican
Libertarian Platform(name 3)
Legalization of marijuana
Pro-choice
Decrease the size of military
Unregulated free market economy
Decrease taxes
Right to bear arms
Party Machinery(what does it include)
*National Chairsperson
“Big Tent Parties”
Major Parties are referred to as “Big Tent Parties’
“Party in Power”
President is the automatic leader of his or her party, which is at the time considered to be “the party in power”
Nominating Function
When parties select candidates to run for public office
(ex: conducting campaigns so those candidates can win elections)
Nominating Caucus
Supporters of candidates attend a series of open meeting to express presidential preferences
(open to members of a specific party, requires the most time on the part of the voter)
Open Primary Elections
Eligible American Voters(electorate) are able to cast one vote for a candidate of either party, even if they aren’t a declared member of each party.
Nominating Caucus vs. Open Primary Election
Primaries: election before the general elections
Caucus: Meetings run by political parties
National Convention
The party machinery( delegates) for each major party assemble to officially select/nominate the party’s tickets
(occurs the summer of a presidential election year)
(a get together to discuss the party’s official platform on the issues)
Informer-Stimulator Function
When parties take
stands on issues and
criticize the stands
taken by their
opponents
The party out of power
scrutinizes and
criticizes the actions
of government officials
Seal of Approval Function
When parties try to ensure that the people they nominate are qualified and of good character
Governmental functions
When parties appoint state and federal public officials on a partisan basis
Reasons for the two party system
The Historical basis( the framers of the constitution were opposed to political parties)
Framers felt they promoted
Societal divisions
* Pursuit of selfish interest
* Stifled dissent
The
Historical
Basis
In the debate over ratification, Federalists and
Anti-federalists became the country’s first parties
* However, we know that the 2 major parties today
are the Republicans (Conservative) and Democrats
(Liberal)!
The Force of Tradition
It has always existed as long as they can remember
People are wary of throwing their vote away on a minor party candidate
The Force of Tradition
Therefore, minor parties have made little headway
Since no one votes for minor parties it is also hard for them to receive any campaign funding
The Force of Tradition
However, polls indicate that Americans would like a viable minor party to challenge the two major parties
Especially in elections where the 2 candidates representing the major parties are not very well liked.
The Force of Tradition
America’s political
parties tend to take
moderate stands to
attract the largest
number of voters
- While minor party
candidates feel more
freedom to speak their
mind, since they feel
that they have no real
shot at winning the
election
Minor Parties
Any political party that is
not one of the 2 major
parties (Republicans,
Democrats)
* These parties do not win
elections very often, and
have never had their party
become the “party in
power”
* However, they still can
have a major effect on
government and politics.
Minor Parties
Minor Parties
Attract new groups of citizens, causing them to become active voters.
Future of the Major Parties
Parties have been in a state of decline
since the 1960s
Dealignment
Decline in loyalty or identification with parties
Growing number of
independent
voters and
“split tickets.”
Realignment
Voters switching allegiance
between parties.
Split- ticket voting
Voting for candidates of different parties on the same ballot
Straight-ticket voting
Voting for candidates of only one party on the entire ballot
Suffrage/ Franchise
The right to vote
Electorate
Every person that is eligible to vote within the nation.
19th Amendment-
1920
*Women’s Suffrage
*No state can deprive any person of the right to
vote because of their gender
Prior to this some states had already
granted women the right to vote but it was
not universal
*Congress finally gives into the women’s
suffrage movement by passing this amendment
15th Amendment- 1870
*Civil War amendment
*Gave former slaves the right to vote
*No state can deprive any person the right
to vote “on account of race, color, or
previous condition of servitude.”
24th Amendment- 1964
*Elimination of poll taxes
*No state can require the payment of any
tax as a condition for taking part in the
nomination or election of any federal
officeholder
24th Amendment- 1964
President
Vice President
Members of
Congress
26th Amendment- 1971
*18 years old = national voting age
*No state can deprive any person who is at
least 18 years of age of the right to vote
because of age
26th Amendment- 1971
Voting Qualifications
If you are old enough to go to war then
you are old enough to vote
Most quickly ratified Constitutional
Amendment
Voting Qualifications
States can allow a lower voting age
but is prohibited from raising the
voting age above 18
Supremacy Clause
Beyond these restrictions, you must remember that no state can violate any other provision in the Constitution in the setting of suffrage qualifications.
Voting Qualifications(Top three)
Residence
Age
Citizenship
Citizenship
Aliens – foreign born residents who have
not become citizens – are generally denied
the right to vote.
Citizenship
Nothing is stated about aliens in the Constitution
A state could allow them to vote
*Western states used to allow aliens to vote once they
applied for citizenship
Nothing is stated about aliens in
the Constitution
Naturalized
born elsewhere and completed
citizenship process
*Natural Born
born in U.S.
Residence
Most states require that a person live within a state for some period of time in order to vote
Residency
Approximately half of all states require 30 days of residence prior to voting
Most states prohibit transients from voting in their state
Voting done by absentee ballot (a vote cast by someone who is
unable or unwilling to attend the official polling station to which the voter is normally allocated)
Age
26th Amendment sets 18 as minimum age for voting
Before 26th amendment age was 21 to vote
Argument was old enough to be drafted at 18
old enough to vote
Primary election(17)
A 17 year-old whose birthday falls after a primary but before the general election can vote in the primary as a 17 year-old
Literacy Tests
Congress ended
this practice in 1970
Poll Tax
24th amendment and
Supreme Court put an end
to this practice (1964)
Registration
*Registration is the only one of these alternative qualifications that has survived
National Voter Registration Act of 1993 (Motor Voter Law)
*Required States to make registration as easy as possible
*Required that citizens be able to register to vote when
applying for a driver’s license renewal
*Citizens can now register via mail
Where to vote
Registration form to be found at
unemployment office, welfare office, other governmental offices
Voting Disqualifications
There are no states that allow people in
mental institutions (or anyone declared
mentally incompetent) the right vote.
Voting Disqualifications
Most people convicted of serious crimes (felons) are not allowed to vote
Voting Disqualifications
Non-citizens
Voting Disqualifications
Some states deny the vote to those dishonorably discharged from the military
Voting Qualifications
Lack of Identification Documents
(Ex: Driver’s License, Social Security Cards, Proof of residence)
“Ballot fatigue”
“Ballot fatigue” –many people do
not mark their entire ballot
Non- voting reasons
Illness or Disability
Non- Voting Reasons
Unexpectedly unable to make it to the polls
Apathy
*Some people feel that they have little or no effect on
outcome
Apathy
Lack political efficacy – any feeling of influence or
effectiveness in politics
Apathy
They feel their votes will have no impact on what government does
Lack of trust
Some people don’t vote because they feel that the two parties are essentially the same in policy and philosophy so why vote
Lack of trust
Some people genuinely dislike
and distrust politicians and as a
result they do not vote
Non- Voting reasons
Bad weather on election day
Non-Voting Reasons
Lengthy Election Procedures
(Ex: Long lines at
polling places
*Identification
laws)
“Time-Zone Fallout”
Polls in the east close before
polls in the west
*Some people don’t bother voting
after seeing early results
Voters vs. Nonvoters
Voters are likely to be:
People at high end of the
social, economic, and
educational ladder
*Active in their communities
*People with a high level of
political efficacy
Non-Voters vs. Voters
Nonvoters are likely to be:
Under 35 (younger you
are, less likely you are
to vote)
*Unmarried and
unskilled
*Living in the south or
in rural areas
Nonvoters are likely to be:
Extras
Off-year elections have a lower voter turnout than a Presidential election year
*Greater the candidate competition, the higher the voter turnout will be
Mail-in Voting
High probability of
turn-out
*High probability of
fraud
Internet Voting
*Possibility of technical glitch
*Some people don’t have internet
*High probability of fraud
Early Voting
Many states have started doing this early voting
*Up to 1/3 of all votes were cast before Election Day in 2012
Political Efficacy
Any feeling of influence or effectiveness in politics
Time- Zone Fallout
Polls in the east close before polls in the west
Some people don’t bother voting after seeing early results.
Effects of Minor Parties
- Bring new issues to the national agenda.
- If they gain a lot of support, they will usually then be adopted and
advocated for by the major parties.
Effects of Minor Parties
- If a
liberal minor party candidate runs for office, it could cause the
Democrat on the ballot to lose some potential votes. If a
conservative
minor party candidate runs for office, it could cause the Republican on
the ballot to lose some potential votes. Even if they aren’t winning
often, they’re participation can still affect the outcome. - This is called the “Spoiler Role.”
Absentee Ballot
A ballot completed by a voter who is unable to be present at the polls
Republican Platform
Ex: Limited Government
Pro-Life
Democratic Platform
