Organization of Political Parties & Who Can Vote?

National Party Organization National Committee- Leadership of the political party (either Republican or Democrat) at the national level National Committee raises $$$ for the presidential election and plans the national convention

National Convention Each party officially nominates its candidate Held every 4 years

State and Local Organization Each state in the US is divided into precincts and wards for voting Precinct- geographic area that contains a specific # of voters Several connected precincts make a ward

County Committees Grassroots Level- neighborhood level of a political party; “get out the vote” in a particular neighborhood County Political chairperson assists with local issues

Political Machines Political Machines- dominate an area year after year so candidates sweep almost every election Famous example- Boss Tweed and Tammany Hall Give bribes & kickbacks for votes

Nominating Candidates Direct Primary- election in which voters choose candidates to represent each party in a general election Closed primary- only declared members of a party are allowed to vote Open Primary- voters do not need to declare their party preference in order to vote for party’s nominees Closed primaries are most common

Voting

Qualifications for Voting Must be at least 18 years old Must be a resident of the state for a specified period Must be a US Citizen (can be a citizen by birth or by naturalization) Must be registered to vote

Voting Terms Polling Place- Location where voting is carried out Precinct- voting district (usually town hall or school, fire station, etc.) Absentee Ballots- for people who can’t get to the polls on election day Electorate- all the people who are eligible to vote

Who Cannot Vote? Anyone under age 18 Any non-US citizen People who are not registered to vote Convicted felons who have not had rights restored (some states never allow convicted felons to vote- NC does!) Which amendments extended the vote to different groups of people? 15th 19th 23rd 24th 26th

Voting Rights 15th Amendment- no citizen can be denied the right to vote based on race, color, or previous condition of servitude 19th Amendment- no citizen can be denied the right to vote based on gender/sex 23rd Amendment- added the Washington, D.C. voters to electorate 24th Amendment- eliminated the poll tax as a condition of voting 26th Amendment- 18 and over given right to vote

Voter Registration National Voter Registration Act- requires states to let people register to vote when they renew their drivers’ licenses Can also register at state agencies and welfare offices Registration forms ask for your name, address, age and party preference (you may be an unaffiliated voter) Democrats and Republicans may vote in primary elections