1. Party Organization
Chapter 5 Section 5

2. Decentralized parties
Major parties (Democrat and Republican) are decentralized, or fragmented

3. National Level Party Elements
National Convention
National committee
National chairperson
Congressional campaign committees

4. National convention
Convenes every fourth year, the summer before the presidential election
Roles: nominates candidates for President and Vice President; adopts party rules and platform

5. Platform
Formal statement of basic principles, stands on major policy matters, and objectives for the campaign

6. National Committee Meets between conventions
Role: mainly prepares for the next national convention

7. National Chairperson Selected for a 4-year term
Roles: leads national committee, directs party headquarters, works to strengthen the party

8. Congressional Campaign
Takes two years, during a terms of Congress
Roles: works to reelect incumbents and to unseat the other party’s incumbents in each house

9. Basic Components of the Party
Party organization – the party machinery’s leaders
Party in the electorate – those followers who usually vote for the party’s candidates
Party in government – the party’s officeholders

10. State and Local Party Structure
Usually set by state law
State – central committee headed by a chairperson
Local – varies widely; has party unit for each district in which elections are held
Districts include congressional and legislative districts, counties, cities, towns, wards, and precinct.

11. Wards and precincts Wards are small units of a city
Precincts are subdivision of a ward

12. Decline of party strength
Parties have been in decline since the 1960s
More and more voters identify themselves as independents
Split-ticket voting, voting for candidates of different parties in the same election, has increased.