Reviewing Political Parties and Voting Behavior

What are Political Parties? They are a linkage institution- they link the public with policy-making As such they seek compromise They are a group of people who come together to get people elected. They want to control government

Functions Nominate*** Most important function Inform/activate supporters Act as a bonding agent Govern Perform watchdog duties

Our Two-Party System

Remember…. Framers saw pol. Parties as factions and were opposed to them Our parties tend to be moderate, therefore unifying rather than dividing the public

Minor parties

So, they can’t win, so what do they do?

History of the Parties Beginning- Federalists and Anti-Federalists (aka Democratic Republicans then what? a splinter party broke off and became a major party- which one? which party dominated? 1930s- now which party dominated? Why? 1950s-present- era of ______________. Why?

Why are Parties Weak Today?

Voting….

Basics The Constitution gives ___________ the right to decide who can vote Over time we’ve seen the elimination of voting restrictions

Suffrage Amendments 15 th 17 th 19 th 23 rd 24 th 26 th

Who can vote? General Requirements: Citizenship, residency, age Registration- intended to prevent fraud and used since the early 1900s but this is the biggest reason people don’t vote – This year we’ve seen huge problems in registration with states making it more difficult – 1995 Motor Voter Law was supposed to ease registration process Past- Literacy requirement and poll taxes

Deciding who is in the Electorate Reapportionment- – Redistribution of a fixed number of seats (House of Reps. At 435) – done every 10 years after the census – Can change the outcome of an election Redistricting – Redrawing the boundaries of legislative districts – Done by states (and some states with history of discrimination have to get theirs reviewed)

Gerrymandering What is it? How has it been used to disenfranchise voters?

Civil Rights and Suffrage 1957 Civil Rights Act- set up U.S. Civil Rights commission and est. federal voting referees 1964 Civil Rights Act- forbids discrimination in voter registration 1965 Voting Rights Act- applied to all elections and forbids new election laws unless approved by the Department of Justice 1970 Amendments extend laws for another 5 years

Voting Behavior

Why People Don’t Vote Ballot fatigue- too many offices to vote for People who believe their vote doesn’t count or who distrust politics Media Not registered- this is actually the biggest problem

So, who Votes? Voters tend to have higher incomes, education, and occupations More people vote when the election is close

Who Votes for Whom? Republican Higher income White Protestants Men by a small margin Democrat Middle-class and lower income Union supporters/members Jews Catholics Blacks by a very large margin