Political Parties and ElectionsPolitical Parties and Elections

One-Party System a.k.a. “no-party system” Pros

The winner always has a majority

ConsOnly one person runs for each position

EXAMPLES:China, Cuba, North Korea

Two Party System Pros

Main viewpoints are represented and one candidate usually receives a majority of votes

ConsLess popular viewpoints are not represented in

elections

EXAMPLESU.S., England, Canada

Multi-Party System Pros

All viewpoints are represented in elections Cons

No candidate receives a majority of the votes, only a plurality

EXAMPLES:France, Italy, Germany

Political Spectrum

Radical Liberal Moderate Conservative Reactionary

Political SpectrumPolitical Spectrum

RADICALFavors Extreme Change to create an altered or entirely new social system

LIBERALBelieves that Govt. must take action to change economic, political, and ideological policies thought to be unfair

MODERATEHolds beliefs that fall between liberal and conservative views, usually including some of both

CONSERVATIVESeeks to keep in place the economic political, and social structures of society

REACTIONARYFavors extreme change to restore society to an earlier more conservative state

LEFTLEFT CENTERCENTER RIGHTRIGHT

Plank V. Platform

Plank: A candidate’s stand on one particular issueEx: approving of single-sex classrooms in

schools

Platform: a candidate’s opinion on all of the issues put togetherEx: All of the candidate’s planks put together

make his/her platform

Plurality

When a Candidate wins the most votes

Majority When a Candidate wins more than half the

votes

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RepublicansRepublicans•Founded in 1854 by a group of Whigs, Free-Founded in 1854 by a group of Whigs, Free-Soldiers, and antislavery DemocratsSoldiers, and antislavery Democrats

•First presidential candidate: John C. FremontFirst presidential candidate: John C. Fremont

•Second candidate: Abraham LincolnSecond candidate: Abraham Lincoln

•Became known as the Grand Old Party (GOP) Became known as the Grand Old Party (GOP) in the 1870sin the 1870s

Best gov’t is the least gov’tless taxesoppose deficits, balance budgetde-centralizationde-regulation (laissez-fair capitalism)stress patriotism and strong defensestrong Congressappeals to affluent and middle class

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Using the power of gov’t to solve problemsa strong presidencycurb big business, help the underdognot much objection to taxes or deficitsfavors labor and working personsminoritiessupports gov’t action to foster employmenthelp those unable to help themselvescivil liberties

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The Evolution of the Party System Hamilton and Jefferson, as heads of

the Federalist and Anti-Federalist groups respectively, are often considered 'fathers' of the modern party system.

By 1800, this country had a party system with two major parties that has remained relatively stable ever since.

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Typical Democrat’s

Platform

Typical Republican’s Platform

Planks

Prayer in School

Against For*

Affirmative Action

For Against

Abortion Pro-Choice Pro-LifeTaxes Increase Decrease

Government Spending

Increase Decrease

Democrat vs. Republican

Those not in favor of affirmative action

Affirmative action leads to reverse discrimination.

Affirmative action lowers standards of accountability needed to push students or employees to perform better.

Students admitted on this basis are often ill-equipped to handle the schools to which they've been admitted.

It is condescending to minorities to say they need affirmative action to succeed.

It demeans true minority achievement; i.e. success is labeled as result of affirmative action rather than hard work and ability.

What is a political party?

A political party is an association of voters with broad common interests who want to influence or control decision making in government by electing party’s candidates to public office.

Qualifications to vote

Must be a US citizen Must be 18 years old If you have been convicted of a

felony, your rights of citizenship must be restored.Can be restored by completing

probation or parole.

Straight Ticket vs. Split Ticket When you vote straight ticket you are

voting for candidates of the same party for multiple positions.

When you vote split ticket you are voting for each candidate that you feel will do the best for the position and not just the political party.

Types of Elections

Primary ElectionAn election held before the general

election to nominate candidates of a party for office

General ElectionA scheduled election where voters

determine who will be the public officeholders

National Convention The purpose of a

national convention is:To announce the

party’s candidate and

Unify the party before the general election

Types of Elections

Presidential ElectionAn election to vote for the president

of the United StatesHeld every 4 years

Recall ElectionAn election held to remove an

elected official from office

Electoral College

Electoral votes are determined by the total number of Senators and Representatives the state has in CongressExample: North Carolina has 2

Senators and 13 Representatives. Therefore, it will have 15 electoral votes

Discussion How might the electoral college

increase voter apathy?Apathy= not caring about something,

doesn’t matter who wins, you do not care either way.

Patronage

When a person in office appoints fellow party members to positions in the government

Special Interest Groups A special interest group (also called

an advocacy group) is an organized group that attempts to encourage or prevent changes in public policy (laws)

Ex. NRA (National Rifle Association)MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving)

Political Action Committees A political action committee, or

PAC, is a political committee organized for the purpose of raising and spending money to elect and defeat candidates.

ExMicrosoft

Funding Political Action Committees (PACs) are the

largest source of campaign funding

Hard Money Money donated to an INDIVIDUAL candidateLimited to $2,000

Soft Money Money donated to the political PARTY Unlimited

Money Spent?

Candidates spend most money on Television ads

What is the most effective ways to reach the most voters? Mass Media

TV

Direct Mail

What is the least effective way to reach potential voters Grassroots - political movements

at the lowest level means that people from within a community are working together to bring about political change.

CanvassingDoor to doorPhone calls

Techniques used to persuade people in a certain direction

Bandwagon

Making it sound like everyone supports the candidate, urges people to follow the crowdEx: “Everyone is voting for him, why

aren’t you?”Ex: “Polls show our candidate is

pulling ahead, and we expect to win in a landslide.”

Glittering Generalities

Information that sounds good but is meaningless ex: “I will be good for America because I will bring us peace and prosperity.”

“Just Plain Folks”

Making the candidate appeal to the common peopleEx: T-shirt and jeans, sitting at the

kitchen tableEx: “My parents were ordinary,

hardworking people, and they taught me those values.”

Name Calling

Attacking another candidate or policy with a name or labelEx: He voted NO on healthcare

for childrenEx: She is a dangerous

extremist and terrorist

Stacked Cards Only presenting one side of the issue and

distorting the facts, making the candidate look good (or bad) no matter what the facts areEx: She did these 10 great things for our

countryEx: He has the best record for protecting the

environment

Endorsement

Getting the support of someone important and famous, used to lure in more votersEx: Oprah Winfrey says she will vote for Barack Obama

Symbols/ Transfer

uses popular symbols (typically patriotic) to create a positive or negative associationAmerican FlagRed, White, and Blue

Civic Responsibility vs. Civic Duty Civic Responsibility:

something a good citizen should do (ex: Vote)

Civic Duty: something a citizen must do (ex: jury duty)

Marbury v. Madison

DecisionEstablished the concept of Judicial Review: the Supreme court has the final authority to find acts of government unconstitutional

McCulloch v. Maryland What happened?

Maryland tried to put a tax on a branch of the Bank of the US

ImpactA state cannot tax a federal institution

AmendmentSupremacy Clause (Article VI)

Plessey v. Ferguson What happened?

Plessy (1/8 of African decent) sat in white only train car, would not move when asked

ImpactEstablished the concept of “separate but

equal” in public facilities

Amendment14th

Brown v. Board What happened?

Mr. Brown wanted his daughter to attend the neighborhood school (she was black and the school was for whites)

ImpactSchools were desegregated. Separate is

unequal

Amendment14