Part I: Political Parties

Obj. 1: Political Parties and Their Purposes

• ____________ _____________:– a group of people who seek to control government by

__________ __________ and holding __________ ________________– Can also be people joined together based on common

beliefs, BUT…– In the US, our major parties are not_________ -

__________, but rather are ___________- ___________

• Two major parties in the US:– Republican– Democratic

5 Major Functions of Political Parties

1. ____________ Candidates– Parties ________________ _________________ for public office– Then, they help candidates ____ ___________– This is the most important function of political

parties

2. __________/___________ Voters– Parties try to ________ _________ to inspire

them to participate in public affairs – They do this mainly by ____________ for

_______________ who are running for office– Parties will try to present their positions and

candidates in as favorable a way as possible– They accomplish this by using: Pamphlets, signs,

buttons, bumper stickers, TV, radio, internet (blogs), speeches, rallies, and many, many other ways….

3. “___________ _____________”– PPs try to select candidates who are

______________and who of a good, ___________ character

– PPs also try to ensure that ________________________________________

– The ______________ _______________ enforces the bonding agent function:

• If a party fails to put forth good candidates, or if a party defends/fails to punish bad candidates, they won’t get votes!

4. ______________________– ______________ _____________ are regularly chosen

based on their PP – Many votes in Congress and in state legislatures reflect

strong _______________ - strong support of a _____________ and its ____________ ____________

– In other words, partisanship means that, on most issues…• Democrats will vote with ________________• Republicans will vote with __________ __________– Most ____________ are also made based on PPs• Example: A Republican President usually chooses a Republican to

be Secretary of State

5. _______________________– Political parties _______ ________ publicly on

government actions – Especially if the political party is not the

________________ (party of the President)– Political Party that is NOT in power (NOT the party of

the President) = “______ ____________”• they oppose the _________ in power, but they are _______

to the ____________of the nation • So, they attempt to convince the people of the nation that

the party in power needs to be “________ ________”– Example: Anti-Clinton campaign ad, 1996

Democrats vs Republicans

• ____________ govt has more power

• More ___________ on businesses and the economy

• _______________ regulation

• __________ on social issues

• ___________/____________________ have more power

• _____/______regulation on businesses and the economy

• No _____________ regulation

• ___________ on social issues

Minor parties• In the US, we usually call them “___ _____________”• These candidates rarely win elections• HOWEVER, 3rd parties can still be very important in

elections for 2 main reasons:1. They __________ __________to issues ignored by the 2

main parties2. “________ __________”: The presence of a minor party

candidate causes a majority candidate to lose votes, which can tip a close election away from a candidate that otherwise would’ve won

1. Ex. The 2000 Election….

Example: 2000 Presidential election

• __________ __________was on the ballot in 44 states• With 3 states too close to call (NM, OR, FL), Bush had 246 votes,

Gore had 255. (270 needed to win)• Win in FL (25 votes) = Win the election• Nader received 97,421 votes in FL…Gore lost to Bush by 537 votes

in FL• Nader also got 22,000 votes in NH, where Bush beat Gore by 7,000

votes• Either state (FL or NH) would have won Gore the election• About 40% of people who voted for Nader said they would have

voted for Gore if Nader had not been a choice.

Electoral Votes, 2000 ElectionBush: 271Gore: 266

FINAL POPULAR VOTE:BUSH: 50,456,002GORE: 50,999,897

4 Types of minor parties

1. ________________ parties: – Based on a certain set of ___________– They rarely get many votes, but these parties stick

around for a long time– Ex: Socialist Party, Libertarian Party

2. ____________-____________ parties:– Focused on only one _________ __________issue– Usually fade away over time– Ex: Right to Life Party (opposes abortion)

3. _________ _____________ parties:– Develop during periods of ________________

discontent/depression to proclaim disgust with the major parties and demand better times

– Disappear when _________________________4. ______________ parties:– Parties that _________ from one of the major

parties– Tend to develop around candidates with strong

_______________ that have failed to get nominated for office

– They tend to fade away once that strong person steps aside

– Ex. Bull Moose Party (Teddy Roosevelt), American Independence Party (George Wallace)

Significant Minor parties in the US

• Libertarian Party– ____________ ($$) conservative – no taxes, no

involvement with foreign countries, free market– ___________ liberal – “live and let live” mentality

(pro-choice, legalize drugs, gay rights, etc.)– Ron _________ - Libertarian Presidential

candidate in 1988 and 2008. He ran for the Republican ______________ in _________

Significant minor parties

• Green Party– Fiscally and socially _______________– Beliefs: _______________, nonviolence, social

justice– Example: Ralph Nader

Part II: Elections: Selecting a Candidate

Nomination• The critical 1st step in an election process is the

________________: the selection of a person to run for _____________

• In a typical election in the US, voters go to the ballots to choose between 2 candidates: a ____________ candidate, and a ___________ candidate– Before that happens, each political party has to select

(_______________) the person they think can win the election.

– There are ways in which political parties nominate candidates to run for office

Nominating a Candidate: 5 Ways

1. : A person who wants to run for office simply announces it publicly. – ______________ form of nomination– Today, this is mostly used by __________ party

candidates

2. : a group of people who ____________ and select candidates they will support in an upcoming election– Basically, a ___________ ____________where a

few influential people choose the nominee to run in the general election

– Used for Presidential elections until ________

– By the 1820s, more and more people were ____________ the caucus system, because…

• It did not allow the ___________ a say in which candidate was nominated (they didn’t get to __________)

• It was too open to ______________ and abuse of power– Caucuses are not used anymore, except in some

______________ (town/city) elections.

3. : replaced the caucus system for a short time, but was just as open to abuses of power and corruption.

4. Primary: ______________ held within a political party to pick the party’s candidate for the ______________ election.

• This is the most common method for all States for __________________candidates for office today

__________ Types of Direct Primaries:1. ____________Primary: Only people who are registered

_____________of a political party may vote in that party’s primary election

– Example: In States with closed primaries, only a person who is a registered member of the Republican party can vote on the Republican ballot.

2. ____________ Primary: Any qualified _________ can vote in either party’s primary election. (This is the method used in ____________). Open primaries can work 1 of the following 2 ways:

– In some States, you are given a ballot for each party when you get to the polling place, and you simply fill out whichever one you want – but only ________________.

– In other States, like Georgia, you must _____________ one party’s ballot or the other from the attendant at the polling place.

• ___________________ Primaries:– Primaries for the Presidential elections work very

much the same as primaries for all other elections EXCEPT….

– The votes for each candidate are used to select __________________ for that candidate who will vote at the political party’s national ___________.

– The delegates’ votes at the convention are what actually ______________the Presidential _________________ for that party.

5. _______________: Candidates are nominated by petitions ______________ by a certain number of qualified voters– Used mostly at the local level for ____________

elections (elections where candidates are not identified by party _____________)

– The higher up (more important) an office is, the more _________________ that are required for a person to get on the ballot

Part III: Voting and Voter Behavior

What do the following four men all have in common?

• A. Andrew Jackson• B. Samuel Tilden• C. Grover Cleveland• D. Al Gore

Answer: • They all won the ______________, but did not become

____________________• Popular vote: the actual number of _____________ people’s votes

for a candidate

1824• Popular Vote

Andrew Jackson 41%John Q. Adams 31%William Crawford 11%Henry Clay 13%

• Electoral College Votes (131 needed to win) Jackson 99 votes

Adams 84 votesCrawford 41 votesClay 37 votes

Winner: _____________________

* Adams was elected by House of Representatives when Jackson did not receive a majority of the Electoral votes

1876• Popular Vote

Samuel Tilden 51%R. B. Hayes 48%

• Electoral College Votes Tilden 184Hayes 185

Winner: __________________

1888• Popular Vote

Grover Cleveland 48.5 %Benjamin Harrison 47.8 %

• Electoral College VotesCleveland 168Harrison 233

Winner: ______________________

2000• Popular Vote

Albert Gore 48.7%George W. Bush 48.5%

• Electoral College VoteGore 266Bush 271

Winner: ___________________

But how can this happen?!

The Electoral College• When we vote in a Presidential election, we are not

_____________ voting for the Presidential _______________ themselves.

• We are voting for ___________ to the ___________ _____________. Those electors ______________ to vote for the candidate that wins in more districts.

• These electors form what is called the Electoral College and are the people who officially __________ the President.

• Each state gets electors based on its representation in __________________2 + # of representatives in the______________

= total # electoral votes • Remember that the number of representatives in the House for

each State is determined by the overall _______________ of that State– 1 representative for every 650,000 people– The State is divided in to __________________ based on the number of

representatives that State has. Each representative represents 1 district– Example: Based on Georgia’s population, we get ___ representatives to

the House of Representatives– Georgia is divided in to ________ districts – each representative is

elected by the people in that district.– HOW MANY ELECTORS DOES GEORGIA HAVE? ____________

How does it work?• The candidate that wins in the most voting ____________ in the

state wins ____________ of that state’s electoral votes. • So, If one candidate wins 49% of districts, and the other wins 51%,

the winner (usually*) gets 100% (ALL) of the state’s electoral votes– Only Maine and Nebraska divide electoral votes up between

candidates, meaning if a candidate wins in 3 out of 5 total districts, he/she gets 3 out of 5 electoral college votes, not all 5 like he would in every other State.

• The state’s _______________ are trusted to give their votes to the winning candidate of that state

• The Presidential candidate who wins the most electoral college____ – NOT the most individual votes (popular vote) – wins the election and becomes President.

• ____ total votes • Candidate needs 270 to win• The ______ Largest (by population)

States in the US = _____ total votes• So, a candidate can technically win an

election, but lose in ____ out of 50 states

• LIST THE 11 STATES WITH THE LARGEST # OF VOTES:

Why was it Created?

• People back then were not _______________ enough to select a President (poor _________________).

• This was a _____________ that gave the ____________ a voice in choosing the President

• To maintain _________________balance

What are the drawbacks to the Electoral College?

• Encourages ________ voter ___________• Diminishes ___________ party influence• Person with most popular votes may not

_____________• Leads to ______________, insincere

voting

Why low voter turnout?• __________________ system = whoever gets the

majority of the _______________ votes in a State wins ALL of the electoral votes

• Remember, whoever wins the_____largest states can win

• So, if a person gets _______% of the __________ vote (in a two person race) in a State, he/she usually gets _____% of the ___________ votes for that State.

• Therefore, many people feel that their vote does not __________and choose to not vote.

History of voting rights

• Framers specifically left (the right to ______) _______________ up to the States• When the Constitution was ratified, only

__________ male owners could vote• Since then, we have gradually removed

many ______________ on suffrage in the US

Extending Suffrage: 5 Stages1. Early ________: removal of , tax payment, and

ownership restrictions. Most adult white men could vote by mid-1800s

2. Post-__________ War: th amendment said no citizen could be denied suffrage based on ________________.

3. __________ – 19th amendment, _____________’s suffrage4. ____________ – During Civil Rights Movement, many

policies were passed to ensure black equality, including the Voting Rights Act of 1965

5. ________: 26th amendment, lowered voting age to 18

Voter Qualifications• The power to set voting laws is a __________ power, but

there are 3 ____________ Voting Requirements that all States enforce:1. : Aliens (___________-born residents who

have not become citizens) are generally not allowed to vote. 2. : You must be a legal ____________ of the

State where you are voting. • Prevents politicians from bringing outsiders in to affect the

outcome of the election• States choose how _________ one must live there to be

considered a resident3. : No state can set a voting age higher than ______

Other Common Voter Qualifications

• Registration: In almost all States, each voter must officially register his/her _________, _________, birthplace, present ______________, length of residence, etc. in the _____________ in which he/she wishes to vote– Put in place to prevent __________________– Once you register, you stay registered unless you

___________, die, etc. – Downside of registration: • Low _____________________• Impacts __________________ negatively• Can be ______________/_______________, though States

have tried to make it easier (example: GA Motor Voter Law)

Qualifications…

• Other Qualifications that have been outlawed:– tests (used in some states until _______)– Taxes (used in the South to discourage

___________________from voting after the passage of the _____th amendment)

• You can be denied if you….– Are a convicted _____________– In a mental institution or have been declared legally

________________– Have been dishonorably_______________from the

military

Voter Behavior in the US• What is the average turnout for Presidential elections in the US?

_______________• What is the average turnout for Congressional elections (aka “off-year

elections”) in the US?– “ voters”: people who vote in

______________________ elections, but do not participate in• elections (______________ elections held in the even-

numbered years between presidential elections)• Or ____________/_______________elections – elections for State and local

offices, referenda on State/local issues, etc. Time of year/frequency varies by State

– “ fatigue”: the further down the ballot an _______________ is, the fewer the number of ___________ that will be cast for it• In other words, people just vote for the major ____________, and

then stop instead of completing the entire ballot

Nonvoters: Why People Do Not Vote

1. “ -Voters” – people who cannot vote, but are included in voter ____________ ___________________– Resident ______________– Sick/elderly/disabled– Those in __________ or in mental institutions– Certain ___________________ prohibit voting– Those who cannot take off of _______________– Some discriminatory practices still exist that keep

groups from being able to vote

Why People Do Not Vote2. Actual Nonvoters – Those who make excuses!!– Low __________ __________= “My vote doesn’t matter”

• Political efficacy: a person’s feeling of their own ______________ in politics

– Laziness = “Voting is a pain! You have to register, wait in line, fill out a long ballot….ugh!”

– “____________ fall-out” = Once the people on the ____________ coast see the results from the _____________ coast elections on TV, they don’t vote because they figure the election has already been ____________.

– Voter apathy = lack of __________ or ___________ in the outcome of an election. “I just don’t care”

Voters vs Nonvoters – Who tends to vote and why?

• Voters:– higher levels of ______________– higher-level ________________– higher ____________________

• Nonvoters: – Under ___________ yrs old– unmarried– unskilled/lower-level jobs

• _______________are more likely to vote than _______________

• People in ________________are more likely to vote than people in rural areas

Political Socialization• : the process

through which we gain our political attitudes and opinions

• Starts when you are __________________and continues through your whole life

• Involves all of the _________________and _________________that shape your view of politics

• There are many factors that shape and influence our political views, such as….

More likely to vote for ________________….

More likely to vote for _______________…

Income and Occupation

• Higher ____________

• ________-collar corporate jobs

• Lower ____________

• _______-collar labor jobs

Education

• More likely to vote for _______________:– No High School diploma– Just a High School

diploma– ____________ degree

(Masters/PhD)

• More likely to vote for _____________:– Some college– ______________

(Bachelor’s degree)

A little tricky, because the __________educated AND __________ educated tend to vote for Democrats

Tend to vote for Democrats…. Tend to vote for Republicans…

Gender/Age

• _____________• ___________ voters

(under 30)

• ______________• ___________ voters

(50+)

More likely to vote for Democrats… More likely to vote for Republicans…

Religious, Ethnic Background

• ______________• ______________• ______________

• ______________• People who attend

__________ regularly (1x per week)

More likely to vote for Democrats… More likely to vote for Republicans…

Geography

• ____________ US• Live in large cities

• ____________ US• Live in _________ , rural

areas

Family/Social Groups• 9 out 10 _____________ __________vote

for same political party• 2/3 people vote for same party as their

_______________• We influence and are influenced by those

that we spend the most time with – _______________– _______________

Party Identification and Voting Behavior

• ______________________(loyalty of a person to a particular political party) is the single greatest ______________of how someone will vote

• ______________________: voting for candidates of only one party in an election

• ______________________:voting for candidates of more than one party in an election– The increase in split-ticket voting in the US indicates that

____________ ___________among Americans is not as _______________ a factor as it used to be

Part IV: Mass Media and Public Opinions

What is a public opinion?

• Attitudes held by a significant number of people on matters of

______________ and _________________

• In order to be a public opinion, an opinion must be ___________

– _____________by someone on TV, radio, etc.

– Protest demonstrations

– Films

– Billboards

– By _______________ for/against a candidate

What influences our opinions?

• ____________ and ________________

• _______________ groups (your friends)

• _____________ leaders (any person who has an influence on the opinions of

others – politicians, radio/tv personalities, community leaders, religious leaders, etc.)

• Historic events (ex. Great Depression, wars, 9/11)

• _________________: means of communication that reach

large, widely spread audiences

– i.e. TV, radio, newspapers, the internet, magazines, etc.

How MASSIVE is our media?• ______ million: # of US households that have at least 1 TV

• ________: Average # of TV sets per household

• ___________: # of hours per day that a TV set is on in the average household

• _____________: number of hrs per year that an American youth spends in school

• _____________: number of hrs per year that an American youth spends watching TV

• ______million: number of commercials a person will have seen by the age of 65

How MASSIVE? (cont.)

• ______%: American households with a computer

– of these, 92% have internet access

• _______: hours the average American spends online per

month

• And don’t forget about newspapers, magazines, radio, etc.

• In other words, it’s hard NOT to be influenced by the media….

Politics and the Mass MediaThe mass media plays an important role in 2 critical areas:

1. Shaping the ______________________(the issues that the nation’s

political leaders and the general public agree need government

attention)

– The media have the power to focus ____________ ___________ on certain

issues

– They do this by reporting heavily on _____________ related to that issue, while

paying less attention to other stories

– They don’t tell us what to _________________, but rather what to

______________ _______________

2. __________________ Politics

– The mass media play a crucial role in elections

• Media exposure can “_____________ or __________” a candidate

• More exposure is better, but….

• Bad exposure can sink a candidate’s popularity quickly

– Candidates use the media to _____________directly to the

public through….

• Public appearances (which are covered by news stations)

• Interviews

• _______________ advertisements

“Make or Break” Moments in televised electoral history…

• First televised Presidential debate: _______________

– 1960: John F. ____________ vs. Richard ______________ – JFK emerged

much more popular based on his TV appearance

– JFK looked much better on TV than Nixon (who wore no makeup and sweat

the whole time)

• Howard ___________________: _____________

– Dean won the Iowa primary. In a speech to his supporters, he got a little too

excited

– The Howard Dean “________________”

Campaign Ads: The propaganda machine

• _________________: form of communication designed to

influence the audience’s opinions/beliefs on an issue

– In other words, using any means necessary to get someone on your

side

– Information may be totally _____________….and then again, all or

some of it could be ________________.

– _________________ advertising uses propaganda techniques to

make the candidate seem like the “good guy” and make his/her

opponent look like the “bad guy”

Part V: Campaign Finance

Funding a campaign

• Campaigns cost A LOT of money• 2004: Total spending for all political parties for

the Presidential election was over __________• Sources of funding for campaigns:

1. ______________ contributors2. ______________ treasury

Paying for a campaign: Private Contributors

1. ____________contributors: people occasionally make small donations (less than $________)

2. ____________ individuals and families: “fat cats” who can afford to make very large contributions (_____________)

3. _____________: Can use their own $$. (_________)

4. __________________________(PACs): special-interest groups/organizations used to raise $$ to get candidates elected or to get support for certain issues.

Paying for a campaign:Public funds

• Comes from _______ dollars– Every person who files a tax return can choose to have $3 of their taxes go to campaign funds• The federal govt will match up to $__________per

individual contribution for each candidate that qualifies• To qualify:• Must raise at least $____________ in individual contributions• The $100,000 must come from at least ________ states (at

least $5,000 per state)• Contributions cannot be larger than $_____________

Regulating Campaign Contributions

• The ________________________________is in charge of enforcing campaign finance laws

• They are supposed to make sure that candidates aren’t getting too much $$ from certain sources, and that they are spending the $$ appropriately

• However, the FEC is _______________, because Congress never passes any measures to give the FEC more money – Why do you think this is?

Hard Money vs Soft Money

___________Money

• $$ donated to a political party specifically for a _______________

• ___________regulated– There are limits on how

much $$ a source can contribute to a campaign

_____________Money

• $$ donated to a political party “just because” (for “___________ _____________” purposes)

• _____________ regulated– There is no limit to how

much $$ someone can contribute to a political party if its NOT for a campaign

The Soft Money Loophole• “__________ ____________” may include ads that educate voters

about issues, as long as the ads don't take the crucial step of telling voters which candidates to vote for.

• For example:– Soft money cannot pay for this: "I am a good person. Candidate Y is a bad

person. Vote for me on election day." Because of the "Vote for me..." portion, this is a political ad, and must be paid for with hard money donations

– Soft Money can pay for this: "Candidate X has a record that includes awful things. If these awful things continue, people will come to your house, steal your money and shoot your dog. Be sure to vote on election day." Because the ad "educates" people on an issue and doesn't tell them to vote for a particular candidate, it's “party building,” and can be paid for by soft money.

Campaign Finance Limits

• Hard Money ______________(Max amounts each source can donate to a political campaign):– Individuals: No more than $_____________– PACs: No more than $______________– ______________and labor unions: $0 – they are not

allowed to make direct $$ contributions to campaigns– There is no limit to how much $$ total a candidate can

___________on an election. He/she can use as much of his/her own money as he/she wants