Political Parties and Voting

1. Political Parties and Voting

2. Political Party Vocabulary Definition of Political Party: Group of people who join together to elect a candidate to office in order to control the government. Role of Political Party: to bridge the gap between voters and the government. Purpose of Political Party: to win.

3. Political Spectrum The continuum extends from left to right. Liberal Conservative

4. Political Spectrum Political Spectrum

5. Political Parties are NOT based upon: • Abortion • War in Iraq • Social Security • Gay Marriage • Welfare • Death Penalty • Gun Control • Education • Foreign Policy... • Political parties use the issues as tools to persuade voters and eventually their vote. • Parties will shift positions to wherever public opinion sits. • Ex: • The Republican Party will back a moderate/ liberal Republican candidate for an elected office in a predominantly Democratic area. (Senator Arlen Specter, PA. 1980-2010*)

6. Major Party Platforms Democrats Republicans • Pro-choice • Anti-war • Social programs • (welfare, social security…) • Public Education • Pro-unions • Same Sex marriage • Stricter Gun Control Pro-life Tough National Defense Smaller gov’t…(less programs, less taxes) Vouchers Big business Tradt’l Family values 2nd Amendment Rights

7. Diversity in Each Party Members in the two major parties in the United States are diverse and do not necessarily share any common ideological basis. Translation: All Democrats don’t think alike All Republicans don’t think alike. Ex: (R) John McCain: Illegal Immigration (D) Bob Casey: Pro-Life

8. The Five Functions of Political Parties Nominate- name or recruit candidates, then present to voters Inform- inform and stimulate the voters about a candidate; pick and choose issues Approve- keep the party bonded by approving actions of candidate Government- (how gov’t works) many voters decide winner by party, Congress works on a partisan basis, and appointments are made according to party. Watchdog- (out of power party) parties watch the conduct of those in power, try to convince voters to oust the ones in charge

9. Why have two major Parties? • History: The nation has had two strong parties since America’s beginning. • Federalists vs. Anti-federalists • Tradition: It’s always been that way! • System: The electoral system has several features that enable only two parties to compete. • Winner take all • Single member district • Plurality • Lawmakers: Minor parties often find it difficult to flourish because election laws have been written by officials who are members of the major parties.

10. Eras of Party Dominance • Between 1800 and today, there have been four eras in which one party or another has dominated national politics. • Democrats- 1800- 1860 • Republicans- 1860- 1932 • Democrats- 1932-1968 • Republicans- 1968-today ? Republican Democrat

11. Republican Dominance? (1968-today) • 1968 Richard Nixon (R) • 1974 Gerald Ford (R) • 1976 Jimmy Carter (D) • 1980 Ronald Reagan (R) • 1988 George H.W. Bush (R) • 1992 William Clinton (D) • 2000 George W. Bush (R) • 2008 Barack Obama (D) 6 4 (10) 4 8(18) 4(22) 8(12) 8(30) 8(20)

12. Minor Parties Types Minor parties are third party choices that tend to fall into one of four categories: • –(1) Ideological—devoted to an overriding set of beliefs • Example: Communist Party, Nazi party • –(2) Single issue-party pushes one or few issues • Taxes, foreign policy, abortion, freedoms • –(3) Economic protest during times of economic hardship • –(4) Splinter/faction: Branches off of one of the major parties • T.Roosevelt’s- Progressive party (splinter from Republican)

13. Voting The key building block of democracy? THE RIGHT TO VOTE

14. Who controls voting? …which level of government makes laws determining who gets to votes? THE STATES

15. Who is voting? • The amount of people eligible to vote has grown significantly over the last two hundred years. • The body of eligible voters is called the electorate.

16. Elimination of Restrictions Religious qualifications dropped in 1810…leads to dropping of taxes, property ownership. QUOTE: Thomas Paine (1776) After observing a man who only owned a jackass, and would lose the right to vote when the jackass died. “Now tell me, which was the voter, the man or the jackass?”

17. Growing Electorate 15thAmendment • Supposedly gave the right to vote to all non-whites (1887) • Jim Crow laws prevented many of the newly liberated Black-Americans to exercise the rights guaranteed to them in the Constitution.

18. Growing Electorate 19th Amendment Voting Rights Act of 1965 • Gave the right to vote to women. (1920) • Gave enforcement to 15th Amendment • Attorney general now a watchdog to discrimination in voting laws

19. Growing Electorate 24th Amendment 26th Amendment • Eliminated poll tax • Lowers age of vote to 18

20. What are today’s voting requirements? Citizenship U.S. Citizen Residence Usually 30 days in your state (varies) Age 18 yrs old

21. Voting Behavior What affects how we vote?

22. Factors Affecting Voting Sociological Factors Psychological Factors Influence from people/places around us How our own thinking impacts our votes

23. Sociological Factors Education: Higher edu= Rep Lower edu=Dem Income and Occupation: Higher income=Rep Lower income=Dem Sociological Religious/Ethnic Jews-Dem Protestants-Rep Minorities-Dem TODAY VARIED* Gender and Age: Men-Rep Women-Dem Older-Rep Younger-Dem Family& Other Most vote the same as their parents Geography NY, CA, Northeast-Dem Midwest-Rep Urban-Dem Rural-Rep

24. Psychological Factors • Candidates & Issues • “Image” now has a large impact on voting (TV age) • Some “hot-button” issues are the only factor for certain voters (ex. Abortion) • Party identification • The most important factor • Most vote along party lines (straight-ticket voting)