1. Unit 2: Political Parties, Voting, and Elections
American Government & Law
Winslow High School

2. 2012?

4. Unit Topics Ideology & Political Spectrum Parties & What They Do
2 Party System
2 Party System in History
The Minor Parties
Party Organization
Constitution & the Right to Vote
Voter Qualifications
Nonvoting
Voter Behavior
The Nominating Process
Elections
– 2013 Mock Election?
– 2013 PROJECT FIRST VOTE?
Unit Topics

5. Where do they line up?

7. What about these celebrities?
Mr. Thurston
Mr. Browne
Mr. Smith
Ms. Beckwith
Mr. Andresen
Mr. Goldsmith
Ms. Meehan
Mr. Hendsbee
What about these celebrities?

8. What is a Political Party?
A group of people…
Who share a common ideology…
And who seek to control the government…
By winning elections.
What is a Political Party?

9. It depends on your ideology
So…Which Should I Join?

10. The “Old” Political Spectrum
Liberal Moderate Conservative
D R
The “Old” Political Spectrum

11. LIBERALS usually embrace freedom of choice in personal matters, but tend to support significant government control of the economy.
They generally support a government-funded "safety net” to help the disadvantaged, and advocate strict regulation of business.
Liberals tend to favor environmental regulations, defend civil liberties and free expression, support government action to promote equality, and accept diverse lifestyles.
Liberals

12. Conservatives tend to favor economic freedom, but frequently support laws to restrict personal behavior that violates "traditional values."
They oppose excessive government control of business, while endorsing government action to defend morality and the traditional family structure.
Conservatives usually support a strong military, oppose bureaucracy and high taxes, favor a free-market economy, and endorse strong law enforcement.
Conservatives

13. A Better, Up-To-Date Spectrum

14. Applying the Spectrum to the Parties:
Democrats tend to favor lots of government control of economic issues, and little government control of personal issues.
Republicans tend to favor lots of government control of personal issues, and little government control of economic issues.
Applying the Spectrum to the Parties:

15. What Do Political Parties Do?
American Government & Law Winslow High School

16. Requirements to really be a political party
Political party v. pressure group
Three elements must exist:
Shared beliefs
Program
Realistic chance of success
Requirements to really be a political party

17. What do parties try to accomplish?
Organize a political majority
Provide electable candidates
Educate voters
Finance campaigns
Run the government
Act as the “watch- dog”
What do parties try to accomplish?

18. The Two Party System in America
American Government & Law Winslow High School

19. Why do we keep the 2-party system?
Desire for stability
National election laws
Size of the federal system
“Throw the bums out” tradition
Why do we keep the 2-party system?

20. He ran for president in 1984, 1988, 1992, 1996, and 2000….
For the Prohibition Party
Who is Earl Dodge?

21. The Minor Parties Dozens of minor parties (pressure groups)
At times difficult to describe & classify
Most have been short-lived
Some are centered around a single issue…others are more broad
The Minor Parties

22. The Ideological Parties

23. The Single-Issue Parties

24. The Economic Protest Parties

25. The Splinter Parties

26. The Role of Minor Parties
So…what’s the point?
They have had an impact
“Spoiler” role
2000 Election
25 electoral votes in FLA
Bush – 246 Gore – 267
270 to win
Bush - 2,912,790
Gore - 2,912,253
Nader – 97,488
Bush – 271
Gore - 266
Just give Gore 51%
Bush – 2,960,559
Gore – 2,961,972
Critic
Innovator
The Role of Minor Parties

27. What limits were once placed on the right to vote
What limits were once placed on the right to vote? (suffrage – franchise)
What limits remain today?
What does party membership have to do with voting?
How does the American secret ballot work?
How do Americans select their parties and candidates?
Why do so many Americans choose not to vote?
Elections and Voting

28. Should there be limits?

29. What limits were once placed on the right to vote?
Property ownership
Religious belief
Poll Tax
Gender discrimination
Condition of servitude
Literacy tests
What limits were once placed on the right to vote?

30. Constitutional Protections
The original Constitution and amendments guarantee:
Voting equality – the only real protection in the original document
No racial discrimination
No gender discrimination
No poll tax
18 year olds
Constitutional Protections

31. Pro
Con
Voter ID Laws

33. What limits remain today?
Limitations vary by state
Citizenship
Residency
Age
Registration
Legal disfranchisement:
Vagrants
Mentally challenged
Convicted felons
Inmates in public institutions
What limits remain today?

34. Your Party and Voting General elections and voting Primary elections
1st Tuesday after the first Monday of November of an even- numbered year.
Primary elections
Party identification at registration
Do people ever change?
Closed vs open primaries
Your Party and Voting

35. The American Ballot Many different types used Paper & hand count
Voting machines with levers
Punch card ballots
Scanner ballots
Touch-screen
Mail-in ballot
All produced at public expense
Write-ins
The American Ballot

36. How do we decide?? Parents Residence Geography Religion Race Age
Income
Education
Occupation
How do we decide??

37. New Trends in American Voting
The previous slide shows trends…how much do they really matter?
Two new patterns beginning to blur the old certainties:
Split-ticket voting
Voting for the person
New Trends in American Voting

38. Voter Turn-out Presidential election turnout 2004: Off-Year turnout
216.5 million
70%
122.3 million
62 million
29.5%
Off-Year turnout
Primary election turnout
Special election turnout
Voter Turn-out

39. Causes for Low Voter Turnout
“Cannot” voters
Difficult registration process
Complex election issues
One-party domination
“Alienated” voters
Simple apathy
Causes for Low Voter Turnout

40. “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.”
~Edmund Burke