1. Political Party
Organization

2. -who can be a member of a party? Anyone
Membership
-who can be a member of a party?
Anyone
-requirements?
Declare yourself a member
-What Party Members Do?
- Promote party ideas
- Get party candidates elected (raise money)
- Register voters
Anyone who wants to can be a member of a political party, all you have to do is declare yourself a member. Party members assist the political party on all levels (national, state, and local) by spreading the party’s ideas, helping to raise money and get candidates elected, and registering people to vote.

3. Political Philosophy
-Conservatives-- person who favors less government or a government that is less involved in people’s lives and is less open to reforming ideas
Republican, “Right Wing”
-Liberals-- people who are in favor of more government involvement and may be more open to reform
Democrat, “Left Wing”
-Moderates-- person who is somewhere in-between the major political parties and may have some beliefs which favor one side and other beliefs that favor the other party
“On the fence”

4. Political Beliefs
Liberals - the classical political ideology that seeks to maximize individual liberties.
Moderate - an individual who holds an intermediate position between two viewpoints.
Conservative - favor tradition and gradual change, where tradition refers to religious, cultural, or nationally defined beliefs and customs.
Radical - commonly thought of as someone in favor of drastic reforms, which are sometimes significantly different from traditional views.

5. Republicans
-beliefs?
Conservative = LESS government involvement
Status quo (keep things the same)
-demographics?
Rural/suburbs, older, college educated, racial majority

6. Democrats
-tend to believe in?
Liberal = MORE government involvement in people’s lives
Want to reform (change) things they see are wrong (poverty)
-demographic features
Urban, young, religious minority, racial minority

7. -precincts-- Term for a district or area
Organization
National Level and Committee develops party goals and nominates candidates for President
States have their own committees to try to get people elected to carry out those goals in that state
Local levels (counties, cities, wards, precincts) volunteer and work to educate voters and get them to the polls
-local
-precincts-- Term for a district or area
Cast ballots in the same place (major focus of political parties)
-state
-national
-political machine– when a party so strongly controls an area that the opposing party offers little resistance
Not in practice today

8. Political parties really focus here -all voting takes place here
Projects
Volunteers Needed Contact 2nd V. Chair Katie Kinnard Volunteer Coordinator
Democratic County Voter Registration Drive Early March Call to Volunteer to Register Voters
Telephone Calling Project Volunteers are planning a Telephone Calling Project from Headquarters Please call and volunteer to help on this important project
Local Level
-most important level
Political parties really focus here
-all voting takes place here
In precincts
-most volunteers work at this level
-elections here affect people the most
Voters care more about local politicians
Also called the “grassroots” level

9. Grassroots Many people feel politics should be a very local concept.
In other words, people of a community can govern themselves better.

10. State, National Level
-Focuses on several elections
All members have the same goals, no matter what level they work on
-Lots of funds spent at this level
National level
-party goals developed at this level
Developed by national committee, led by national chairperson
-National Conventions-- Meeting held every four years when Presidential candidates are chosen and the party develops official policy beliefs

11. -statement of a party’s beliefs and goals
Party Platform
-statement of a party’s beliefs and goals
Outlines what the party wants to get accomplished
-planks-- what the party’s policy is on a single issue
-developed at National Party Conventions
Delegates from each state write the platform and nominate the national candidates
-not representative of all party members
Just delegates
Every political party develops a party platform, a statement of beliefs of goals that the party wants to accomplish. Every different idea (or issue) placed on the platform is called a plank. Not all party ideas (or planks) make it onto the party’s national platform.

12. Political Platform
A list of the principles which a political party supports in order to appeal to the general public for the purpose of having said party's candidates voted into office.
This often takes the form of a list of support for, or opposition to, controversial topics.
Individual topics are often called planks of the platform.