Unit 5 Politics

Party Organization What do party members do? –Nominate Candidates –Campaign for Candidates –Raise money, stuff envelopes, poll voters, & drive people to the polls –Make telephone calls

Role of Political Parties Selecting & Supporting candidates –Informing the public & activating supporters through pamphlets, bumper stickers, ads, signs, buttons –Act as bonding agent To ensure qualified representatives are carrying the people’s message to government

Role of Political Parties (cont) Serve as a link –Enables the branches & levels of government to communicate Acts as a watchdog –The party not in power is watching the party in power

National Level –Raise money for Presidential campaigns –Organize the national convention –Create the party’s platform Senatorial Committee – elect Senators House Committee – elect Representatives

State Level –Work on electing state officials –Work within the state to elect candidates to national office

Local Level Cities are divided into districts or precincts –Organizes local election efforts –Responsible for all elections Grassroots Movement- a political movement that begins at the community level

U.S.A’s Past Federalists Promoted a strong central government Headed by Alexander Hamilton

U.S.A’s Past Anti-Federalists Promoted strong state governments Headed by Thomas Jefferson Opposed the Constitution of 1787 primarily based on the fear that it would create an overly powerful central government and elite ruling class. Their objections did lead to the inclusion of the Bill of Rights

One party system Party & the government are the same thing. Example: People’s Republic of China

U.S.A The United States is a two-party system This means that even though there are multiple parties, the country only has two major parties Republican Democrat (Andrew Jackson-Dem)

U.S.A Republicans Considered Socially Conservatives - Conservatives are MOST LIKELY to oppose change in government Want Small Government Right-Wing Reactionary- Those that fall to the extreme right of the political spectrum

U.S.A Democrats Considered Socially Liberal Support individual rights Left-Wing Radical- Those that fall to the extreme left of the political spectrum

U.S.A Most people fall somewhere in the middle of the political spectrum Those people are called moderates Bandwagon- urges people to follow the crowd Namecalling- attacks the opponent Gerrymandering- drawing district lines to benefit one group or political party

Propaganda/Campaign Techniques Bandwagon- urges people to follow the crowd Namecalling- attacks the opponent Gerrymandering- drawing district lines to benefit one group or political party

U.S.A Platform- A formal statement of a parties programs and policies it will pursue once its candidate is in office Plank- An individual political policy The goals and positions of a political party can best be described by both platforms and planks

Multi party system three or more parties compete for control of the government are common in Europe, Israel, & Japan Advantage –gives voters the opportunity of voting from a variety of choices –Majorities are rare & pluralities usually indicate winners

Voting Requirements Universal Requirements Citizenship –Undocumented immigrants are generally denied the right to vote

Voting Requirements –You have to be a legal resident in the state the you wish to vote –Must have a valid driver’s license –Must be at least 18 –Must be registered

Other Requirements Registration –49 states require voters to be registered –North Dakota does not require registration

Outlawed Requirements Literacy Test Grandfather Clause Poll Tax What amendment???

Why do people choose not to vote? Voter Apathy – lack of interest in politics. They do not think their vote (or one vote) makes a difference What would happen if everyone believed in this?

Voter Turn Out

North Carolina

People More Likely to Vote Have a: Higher level of income Higher level of education 35 years or older Married Occupation: Business/Professional White-Collar Member of Civic Groups Strong Supporter of a Party Believes in political process Easy registration process

People Less Likely to Vote Have a: Lower level of income Lower level of education Younger than 35 Not Married Occupation: Unskilled & blue collar Isolated individual Weak or no party affiliation Voter apathy Difficult registration process

How to get a Candidate Elected

Nomination Process Caucus Selects a candidate for presidential office where a closed number of party members vote instead of a direct primary where everyone can vote. National Convention Nominate a presidential & vice presidential ticket & platform for the election National nominating conventions- are held to choose the candidates for president

Primary Election Qualified voters choose a candidate to represent their party in the General Election. Multiple members of the same party run for their party’s nomination

How to get the word out Endorsement – when people with power support a candidate Advertising & Image molding Canvassing – going through neighborhoods asking for votes (door to door)

How to pay for the campaign Private funding – less than 10% from individuals Political party contributions PACs – Political Action Committees – political fundraising organizations who want to help a candidate. Provide funding to a candidate’s campaign Public Funding – Taxpayers can contribute money from their tax refund to Presidential Campaign fund which is then divided up between the candidates

Types of Elections Primary Election Elections held to Nominate candidates for political office Used to see which candidate is going to represent a political party.

2 Types of Primary Elections Closed Primary – only declared party members may vote for that party’s nominees Open Primary – voters do not have to register, just have to choose which party to vote for before entering booth

General Elections –Voters cast ballots to PUT A CANDIDATE IN OFFICE –Includes candidates that are not affiliated with a political party –Popular vote – votes cast by the people –Electoral vote – votes cast for President as part of the Electoral College

Electoral College –Electoral College- is a body of electors that casts a state’s electoral votes after the popular vote is taken –The number of electors in the Electoral College for each state is determined based on the number of members in congress

Electoral College Each State is allocated a number of Electors equal to the number of its U.S. Senators (always 2) plus the number of its U.S. Representatives (which may change each decade according to the size of each State's population as determined in the Census).

Special Elections Run-off Elections – when there is a “tie” a run off must be held to determine a winner Recall – voter can remove a public official from office

When you vote for a presidential election, your vote is part of the POPULAR VOTE. Presidents are not elected by the POPULAR VOTE. Your vote is actually for people called electors.

Electors : One of the people chosen from each state & D.C. who formally select the President & Vice President. The Group of Electors is called the Electoral College.

Qualifications Each state appoints its electors. A state’s certification of its electors is generally sufficient to establish the qualifications of electors. Cannot be: – Senator, Representative or person holding an office in the U.S. govt –State officials who have engaged in rebellion against the U.S. or given aid & comfort to its enemies (post-Civil War era)

Here’s the deal 538 electors in the electoral college Each state has a # of electors equal to the total number of Senators & Representatives it has in Congress

The candidate who receives a majority (270 or more) of the electoral votes becomes the next president. If no candidate receives a majority of votes, the House of Representatives chooses the President from the 3 leading candidates.

Types of Voting Absentee voting – voting earlier than the election day –Those too ill or disabled –Those who will be away from their county –Those serving in the military Referendum- Allows people to make Government policy by voting on an issue Incumbent- individual who is currently in office who is running for reelection

Straight Ticket/Party Voting – voting only for one political party Split Ticket Voting – voting for different parties for different offices in the same election

Voting Senators and Representatives are national officials elected exclusively by voters 15 th Amendment- extended voting rights to all male citizens at least 21 years of age, regardless of “race, creeds, color, or previous condition of servitude