1. Chapter 10 (pgs.247FL1-267) Electing Leaders

2. Chapter 10 Section 1 (pgs.252-254) A Two-Party System
Essential Question: What are the differences in the various types of political party systems?

3. Political Parties (pg.252)
Democratic countries often have political parties
Political Party: an organization of citizens who have similar views on issues and who work to put their ideas into effect through government action
A major political party job is to nominate, or select a representative to be their government office candidate
Nominate: to select candidates to run for public office Candidate: a person who runs for election to public office
The Role of Political Parties (pg.252)
Political parties try to convince voters to elect their candidates largely based on their party views within the political spectrum
Political Spectrum: the differences in political views held by the different political parties
Political parties are often labeled as liberal or conservative based upon their political views

4. The Two-Party System (pgs.252-253)
The U.S. uses a two-party system
Two-Party System: a political system with two strong political parties
The two main parties in the U.S. are the Democratic Party and Republican Party
The Democratic is the liberal party
They more likely favor stronger federal government roles in providing social programs
The Republican is the conservative party
They more likely favor less federal government support in operating social programs. They believe social programs should be left for state, local, and nongovernmental organizations.
Advantages of the Two-Party System (pg.253)
The U.S. has operated under this two-party system since the Civil War
Neither party wants to push away voters by offering ideas too extreme
This means government policies don’t drastically change in a short period of time
Too

5. The Two-Party System (pgs.252-253)
Multiparty Systems (pg.253)
Some European democratic countries use a multiparty system
Multiparty System: a political system in which many political parties play a role in government
Since the parties are of approximately equal strength in this system, they often have to work together to the run the government. This agreement between parties to work together is called a coalition.
Coalition: an agreement between two or more political parties to work together to run a government.
A disadvantage of coalition governments is the political parties within often disagree and break apart which weakens both the government and country
One-Party System (pg.253)
Voters of some countries don’t have choices of more than one political party
In those counties, a one-party system is used.
One-Party System: a political system in which a single political party controls the government, and all other parties are banned
A one-party system, the law often forbids the formation of other political parties
These countries governments are often labeled as dictatorships or totalitarian
What is the major difference between 0ne-party and two-party systems?

6. How have third parties affected U.S. politics?
Third Parties (pg.254)
Numerous third parties do exist in the U.S.
Third Parties: minor political parties in a two-party system
Throughout American History third parties have occasionally greatly influenced American politics.
While no third party candidate has never won a presidential election, they’ve greatly influence ones by taking a significant amount of votes away from Republican and Democratic candidates
Also, third parties have proposed influential legislation changes that Democratic and Republican parties refuse to support
How have third parties affected U.S. politics? Om

7. Chapter 10 Section 2 (pgs.255-258) Political Party Organization
Essential Question: How are political parties organized?

8. Party Organization (pgs.255-256)
Political Parties sole reason for existence is to nominate and elect candidates to governmental offices
An effective political party must be well organized at local, state, and federal levels having leaders, committees, and workers able to raise money to pay expenses and plan campaign strategies to get their candidates elected.
Party Committees (pg.256)
Political parties have developed committees at the national, state, and local levels to carry out all party activities
Each committee has a chairperson that are usually elected by party members ls

9. Political Party Organization (pgs.255-256)
National Committees (pg.256)
The largest party committee is the national committee
National committee members are chosen by each state’s party members
The national committee organizes its national nominating convention
The party’s national nomination convention chooses their candidates for president and vice president
The party’s presidential candidate usually selects the national committee chairperson
State Committees (pg.256)
Each party has a state committee to organize and monitor party activities within each state
The state committee’s chairperson is often a member of the national committee
What are the functions of political party committees?

10. Local Organization (pg.256)
Party committees at the local level are arguably the most important.
They help run elections, provide services for disabled, manage volunteers who distribute campaign literature and call potential voters.
An important part of their tasks is to gain voters in their local precincts and polling places.
Precincts: local voting districts in a county, city, or ward Polling Place: a place where citizens go to vote
What role do parties play in the voting process at the local level?

11. Financing Campaigns (pg.257)
Running for government offices is expensive
Presidential campaigns today can exceed $1 Billion
Private Financing (pg.257)
By law, individuals are limited to donating $2,100 to a candidate’s primary and general election each.
A person who contributes more than $200 must be report by the candidate to the Federal Election Commission
Individuals and groups can make unlimited contributions party activities, including advertising, that not part of a particular candidate’s campaign. This is refer to as soft money
Public Financing (pg.257)
Presidential candidates campaigns can be paid for by tax dollars
Candidates must raise $5,000 in at least 20 states to be eligible for public money
Candidates must agree to limit their spending in nomination campaigns to receive public money
Candidates who win their nomination cannot accept any private contributions during their general election campaign
What are the two ways that presidential campaigns may be financed?

12. Chapter 10 Section 3 (pgs.259-262) The Right to Vote
Essential Question: What are some rules that are part of the voting process?

13. Why is voter registration important?
Fair and open voting practices are major keys to democracy
Becoming a Voter (pg.259)
The Constitution ensures all citizens 18 or above are eligible to vote no matter what race or sex
Each state decides the qualifications (criminal records) to be eligible to register to vote in that state
Most states give their register voters a voting identification card
No one can vote more than once
Voters can register as a political party member or as a independent voter
Independent Voters: voters who are not members of a political party
Why is voter registration important?

14. Primary Elections (pg.259-260)
Most states hold two elections: a primary election and a general election.
Primary Election: an election in which the voters of various parties choose candidates to run for office in a general election
General Election: an election in which voters elect their leaders
Primary Elections (pg )
There are two main types of primary elections: a closed primary and a open primary.
Closed Primary: a primary election in which only voters who are members of the party can vote for the party’s candidate
Open Primary: a primary election in which voters may vote for the candidates of any party
Most states use the closed primary
Independent voters can not vote in a closed primary
States determine their primary election winner by who receives the most votes
Some states require the winner to receive at least 51% of the votes
Those states often need a second round runoff between the top two candidates before any candidate receives 51% of the votes
In other states, party delegates of the state (party representatives) choose the political party candidate

15. Elections (pg.259-261) Independent Candidates (pg.260)
If they received get enough signatures on a petition, independent candidates can become eligible candidates for general elections
Independent candidates often depend upon local support
Some states allow voters to write in a name of a candidate
General Elections (pg.261)
Federal level general elections are held on the first Tuesday following the first Monday in November.
State election dates are set by each state.
Most states hold their general elections in November
How do primary elections differ from general elections?

16. How have voting methods changed during the past 200 years?
Voting (pg.261)
Voting methods have change greatly over time
Voters responsibilities have remained the same
Early Voting (pg.261)
Until 1888, it was customary for voters to verbal declare their candidate (voting by voice)
Therefore, a voter’s vote was public knowledge
A secret ballot practice was adopted in 1888.
Secret Ballot: method of voting in which a voter marks a ballot in secret
In this method votes are private which improves the fairness and honestly of elections
Voting Today (pg.261)
How have voting methods changed during the past 200 years?

17. Chapter 10 Section 4 (pgs.263-265) Nominating and Electing Leaders
Essential Question: How are presidents and vice presidents nominated and elected?

18. The Electoral College (pgs.263-264)
Citizens’ popular vote doesn’t determine who becomes the president and vice president
Popular Vote: the votes cast by citizens in a presidential election
Votes Elect Electors (pg.263)
The presidential election popular vote determines who the electors will be
Elector: a person elected by the voters in a president election to be a member of the electoral college.
The are total of 538 electors
Each state has an equal amount of electors as they have members of Congress. Additionally, Washington D.C., which has no members of Congress, has 3 electors.
Expect in Maine and Nebraska, the electors in every state promise to vote for the presidential candidate that won the state’s popular vote.
However, by law they are not required too.
Very rarely has an elector not voted for the state’s winning candidate
The electoral college is the formal name for the electors selected to casts the official votes for president and the vice president in the electoral college.
Electoral College: the group of electors that casts the official votes elect the president and vice president
After the electors are determined by the presidential election popular vote, they cast the electoral votes as part of the electoral college which determines who the president and vice president will be
Electoral Votes: the votes cast by the electoral college for president and vice president

19. The Electoral College (pgs.263-264)
Electors Elect the President (pgs )
The presidential candidate who receive the majority of the 538 elector votes (270 or more) becomes the president
The electoral votes in the electoral college are casted a few weeks after the popular votes are casted on Election Day (which is the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November of a presidential election year)
If no presidential candidate receives enough electoral votes, the House of Representatives chooses the president from the top 3 vote getters
This has happened twice in American History: 1800 and 1824
If no vice presidential candidate receives enough electoral votes, the Senate determines that position
This has happened only once in American History: 1836.
How does the electoral college work?

20. The Nomination Process (pgs.264-265)
Presidential candidates and political parties outline of p0litical views and propose programs that voters largely used to determine who they’ll vote for are called platforms.
Platform: a written statement outlining a political party’s views on issues and describing the programs it proposes
Within each platform’s main topic their plan on how to specifically address the issue is called a plank.
Plank: a political party’s specific proposal for legislation or a statement of a short-term goal regarding a single issue. Planks are the components of a party platform.
Presidential Candidates (pg.265)
A political party member winning the most primary elections doesn’t automatically make them the party’s presidential candidate
Political party presidential nominates must win their party’s nomination at the political party’s national nomination convention to become the party’s official presidential candidate
This is determined by which political party candidate receives the most votes (popular vote) at the party’s national nomination convention
Vice Presidential Candidates (pg.265)
Party delegates also nominate their party’s vice president candidates
Often, the winning candidate is decided by who’s likely has the highest voting appeal
The party’s presidential candidate usually has a strong leverage in determine the vice president candidate
What takes place at political party’s national nominating conventions?