De-inition Party = group of typically unified persons who seeks to control government through elec:ons. Political Parties Major Functions Nominate candidates. Inform and ac:vate voters. Act as a bonding agent. Organize government. Act as watchdog. Nominate Candidates Control government through elections. Major function of political parties. Pick the right person for the job. Inform and Activate Pamphlets, signs, buttons, tv, rallies Photo- ops = good publicity Sound bites = clips to look good, catch phrases Internet becoming more popular Bonding Agent Function Choose a good candidate of good character. Candidates re-lect their party. 1
Organize Government Government is organized on party lines Party organization give government organization. Parties help Congress get things done. Act as Watchdog Party out of power criticizes party in power. Parties watch each other and report errors to the public. The Blame Game. Other Functions Link people to government. SoDen Extremes. Voter Behavior Year Voting-age Population Registered Voters Voter Turnout Turnout Percent 2010 235,809,266 153,000,000 90,682,968 37.8% 2008 231,229,580 169,000,000 132,618,580 56.8 2006 220,600,000 135,889,600 80,588,000 37.1 2004 221,256,931 174,800,000 122,294,978 55.3 2002 215,473,000 150,990,598 79,830,119 37.0 2000 205,815,000 156,421,311 105,586,274 51.3 1998 200,929,000 141,850,558 73,117,022 36.4 1996 196,511,000 146,211,960 96,456,345 49.1 2
Two Long- Term Trends Gradual elimina:on of vo:ng restric:ons. Expansion of Federal Government control over vo:ng. Five Stages Early 1800s expansion of electorate (religion, property ownership, and tax payment) Post- Civil War 15 th Amendment 19 th Amendment Civil Rights Acts 23 rd and 24 th Amendments Voter Quali-ications Citizenship Residency prevents importing/squatters o Average time is 30 days snowbirds Age = 18 per 26 th amendment o States can choose to lower none have Other Quali-ications Registra:on o Permanent unless you move, die, felony o States require purging removing ineligible o Does this decrease voter turnout? Literacy uncons:tu:onal in 1970 o Grandfather clauses, used in south Tax Payment 24 th Amendment Who Votes? Higher levels of educa:on. Higher levels of income/occupa:onal status. Well integrated into community. Long- :me residents. Strong party iden:fica:on. In areas where laws and customs promote turnout. Why People Don t Vote Lack of poli:cal efficacy. o Does my vote maber? Cumbersome Procedures o Long lines, Long ballots, Registra:on process Time- Zone Fallout o East coast results affect west coast votes. Lack of interest (#1 reason) 3
Cannot- Voters Included in the percentage of those who do not vote are people who cannot vote: o Resident aliens o Sick and physically disabled o Suddenly called away from home (military, business, etc.) Persons Denied the Vote People in mental ins:tu:ons Legally found mentally incompetent People convicted of a felony o Serious crimes; applies in most states Dishonorable discharge from military Sociological Factors Psychological Factors Schooling Age Gender Income Ethnicity sort of Religion Geography Family structure Par:sanship Straight v split :cket Single Issue Candidate centeredness Voting Demographics Two- step Election Process Barack Obama John McCain Men 50 50 Women 57 43 Under 30 61 39 65 and Older 46 54 White 44 56 Nonwhite 86 14 College 55 45 High School 47 53 Married 44 56 Unmarried 65 35 1.Nomina:on, in which the field of candidates is narrowed 2.General elec:on, the regularly scheduled elec:on where voters make the final choice of officeholder 4
Three Ways to Nominate Self- Announcement A person who wants to run for office announces their candidacy. Whenever a write- in candidate appears on the ballot, the self- announcement process has been used. The Caucus Originally a private mee>ng of local bigwigs, the caucus as a nomina>ng device fell out of favor in the 1820s. The Conven:on Considered more democra>c than the caucus, conven>on delegates were selected to represent the people s wishes. Party bosses soon found ways to manipulate the system, however, and the conven>on system was on its way out by the early 1900s. Types of Direct Primaries Closed Primary Only declared party members can vote. Open Primary Any qualified voter can take part. Runoff Primary If a required majority is not met, the two people with the most votes run again Nonpartisan Primary Candidates are not identified by party labels Blanket Primary Qualified voters can vote for any candidate, regardless of party State Primaries 26 of the states are closed primaries In AZ, independent voters can vote in the primary of their choice!!! Open primary = some choose, some all Only a plurality is needed in primaries not a majority Closed Vs. Open Primaries Arguments for closed Prevents raiders from choosing weak candidate from opposing party Makes candidates responsive to party Makes voters more thoughnul in choosing Arguments against closed Compromises secret ballot, so what? Excludes independents 5
Private and Public Sources of Campaign Money Small contributors Nonparty groups such as PACs Wealthy supporters Candidates Temporary fund- raising organizacons Government subsidies 6