POLITICS

SIMILARITIES OF POLITICAL PARTIES 1. Organize to win elections 2. Influence public policy 3. Reflect both LIBERAL and CONSERVATIVE views 4. Define themselves in a way that wins majority support by appealing to the center

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN PARTIES All differences between the parties are stated in a document called the party “platform” Democrats tend to be more liberal while Republicans are conservative Democrats tend to want more government while Republicans want less government Democrats tend to win big cities while republicans tend to win in counties and small towns

FUNCTIONS(JOBS) OF POLITICAL PARTIES 1. Recruit and nominate candidates 2. Educate the electorate about campaign issues 3. Help candidates win elections 4. Monitor the actions of officeholders

THIRD PARTIES Introduce new ideas or revolve around one person. Teddy Roosevelt is an example of a third party leader. Third parties rarely win, but they influence voters and cause the two major political parties to change their focus. Some examples of 3 rd parties: Bull Moose(Progressive party), Green party, TEA party, Libertarian party, Justice party

WHAT YOU NEED-STRATEGIES FOR EVALUATING CAMPAIGNS 1. Identify propaganda 2. Separate fact from opinion 3. Evaluate sources 4. Detect bias

ROLES OF THE MEDIA 1. Identify the candidates 2. Emphasize selected issues 3. Write editorials, political cartoons, op-ed pieces 4. Broadcast different points of view

RISING CAMPAIGN COSTS Rising campaign costs have led to several changes in politics 1. Requires candidates to hold extensive fundraising campaigns 2. Gives an advantage to the wealthy 3. Encourages the development of PACs 4. Gives interest groups increased power

REFORM Changes that have been made to try and control political spending Limits were placed on how much money an individual could give to a campaign, but the Supreme Court threw that law out because it violated the 1 st amendment

ELECTORAL COLLEGE The electoral college is the system used to elect president and VP Each political party chooses a “slate” of electors for each state. If that political party wins the most votes in that state, those electors go to the electoral college. Most states have a winner take all system Candidates tend to spend the most time in states with large populations so they can get the most electoral votes, but smaller states can decide the election.

ELECTORAL COLLEGE The number of electors for each state is based on congressional representation (loosely based on the population of the state). The winner take all format and the need for a majority in the electoral college favors a 2 party system.

VOTER REGISTRATION You can only vote in this country if you register first To register to vote there are 3 requirements: 1. Citizen of the US 2. resident of Virginia years old or above To register, you may do so by mailing in an application or registering at the DMV or other specified locations Registration closes 22 days before an election

VOTER PARTICIPATION Several factors help us predict who will vote Age-Older people vote more than younger people Income-People with higher income vote more than those without Education-People with an education vote more than those without

REASONS FOR NOT VOTING Failed to register Lack of interest The percentage of voters goes up in a national election while the number of voters is down in state and local elections Every vote is important