Warm-up – Voting fraud do not write the question It is the law in many states that in order for someone to vote, they need a valid state id This law exists to prevent voting fraud However, 11% of the nations population (about 21 million people) do not have id’s. Many of these people live in poverty and do not have the means to acquire an id Do you think this law is a good idea? Why or why not?

Copy all of the slides except the images Political parties Copy all of the slides except the images

What is a political party? A political party is an alliance of like-minded people who work together to win elections and control of the government. Political parties compete against one another for political power and for the ability to put their philosophies and policies into effect.

Ideology A system or set of beliefs Especially dealing with such issues as: Religion, economics, social issues, political policies

Functions of political parties Recruiting and nominating candidates Educating the public Operating the government Dispensing patronage (favors for party loyalty) like jobs, contracts, and appointments Watchdog – observes the other party and informs them of any scandal/controversies Reduction of conflict – compromising to attract support from many groups (stability)

One party government – that party is the government One party government – that party is the government. Party leaders set government policy Usually found in authoritarian governments Types of parties

Types of parties Multiparty governments France has 5 parties Italy has more than 10 parties Coalition government – several parties combine forces to control the government – leads to instability due to ideological differences

Types of parties 2 party system Remember the Federalist & anti-federalist? Federalist – favored large central government Federalist party Anti-federalist – Favored small government and states rights Democratic Republican Party

Current major parties Democrat & Republican

3rd parties A 3rd party is any party which is not one of the two major parties Also called minor parties Very rarely win

Types of 3rd parties Single issue party – focuses exclusively on one major social, economic, or moral issue Ideological party – has a particular set of ideas of how to change society Splinter party – splits from a major party because of some disagreement

Impact of 3rd parties Greatly influence national elections Helped Nixon win in ‘68 In 2000, green party Ralph Nader took votes from al gore – bush won by a small margin T. Roosevelt and the bull moose party helped get Woodrow Wilson elected. T.R. got 27%vote Ross Perot helped get Bill Clinton elected

Why don’t minor parties win? Difficult to get on the ballot/difficult to participate in the debates $$$ not enough resources/media coverage compared to major parties Winner take all voting system Major parties adopt their good ideas People vote for major party candidates by tradition

Summary – Political Parties 1.) Describe two functions of political parties 2.) Describe two reasons 3rd parties do not win elections 3.) Which party has a donkey for a mascot? 4.) Which party has an elephant for a mascot?