A Two-Party System C.E.5

POLITICAL PARTIES WHAT ARE THEY

The Main Idea Political parties play an important role in the American democratic process. Party supporters put their political ideas to work at all levels of government.

What is a political party? A group of citizens with similar views on public issues who work to put their ideas into effective government action.

What is the role of political parties in the United States? Way for large groups with similar ideas to get things done Take positions on public issues and work to pass laws

What are the functions of political parties? Recruiting and nominating candidates Educating the electorate about campaign issues Helping candidates win elections Monitoring actions of office holders

What is the role of political parties in the United States? Allows individuals to have a stronger voice within a group Parties must compromise and work together

Similarities and Differences between political parties Organize to win elections Influence public opinion Reflect both liberal and conservative views Define themselves in a way that wins the majority support by appealing to the political center Stated in party platforms and reflected in campaigning

Third-Parties Introduce new ideas and/or press for a particular issue Often revolve around a political personality (e.g., Theodore Roosevelt)

What is a One-party political system? dictatorships or totalitarian governments; one group or person has power; people do not have essential freedoms

What is a Two-party political system? create stable governments; allow for majority rule; voters have a choice

The Creation of the Democratic & Republican Parties 1854—Republican Party formed by antislavery groups; nominated Abraham Lincoln for president in 1860 1828—Andrew Jackson led the Democratic Party; determined the government should represent the “common people”

What are the differences between one- and two-party systems? One-Party System Two-Party System Usually a totalitarian government Usually an unlimited government A government unrestrained by the people Opposition parties illegal Usually restrictive of civil and political rights Usually forms a stable government Usually a limited government Composed of a diverse group of people who share similar political beliefs Elections are based on a “winner take all” format Usually civil and political rights are protected

Platform and Plank Platform is a series of statements expressing the party’s principles, beliefs, and positions on election issues Planks are the individual portions of the platform. For example, there is portion of the platform that deals with economic issues and specific plank would be taxes.

The platforms http://www.democrats.org/ https://gop.com/

Political Party Organization

The Main Idea Political parties have workers and committees at the local, state, and national levels. The party nominates candidates for office and campaigns to get those candidates elected.

Organization of Political Party National Chair person and committee State Chairperson and State Committee Local Chair person City, Town, or County committee

What does a party do at the National level? Each party has a national committee that has a chairperson. The role of the committee and chairperson is to help raise money for national elections and organize the party’s national convention. Republican national chairperson: Ronna Romney McDaniel Democratic national chairperson: Donna Brazile interim Chairperson

What is the national convention? Every four years each political party nominate their candidates for President and Vice President. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4TZ5oCW0JFw They also prepare the platform at the convention How do you become a delegate at the convention ? You are chosen by local and state party leaders . For example, Wake county will be choosing two delegates to go the Democratic Party Convention. They will vote on this on 4/16.

State and Local level organizations Each state has a state level for their party. For example, North Carolina has the NC Republic Party committee and the Democratic Party committee Each city or county is divided into precincts which are geographic areas with a specific number of voters. Everyone in the same precinct votes at the same polling place.

Nominating Candidates One of the roles of a political party is to nominate candidates for elections. The primary way this is done is through a direct primary.

Direct Primaries A direct primary is when voters choose candidates to represent each party in a general election. The general election is when you choose which party wins.

Open v. Closed Primaries Most states use a closed primary. A closed primary is when only declared party members are allowed to vote for that party’s nominees. Open primary- this is when voters do not need to declare a party in order to vote for the parties nominees.

What does NC have? http://www.ncvoter.org/who-can-vote/ http://nc-democracy.org/downloads/VotersBillofRightsNC.pdf