2.  Parties & What They Do

3.  A group of persons who seek to control government through the winning of elections and the holding of public office.  Or……  A group of persons, joined together on the basis of certain common principles, who seek to control government in order to secure the adoption of certain public policies & programs.

4.  Examples:  1. The party organization – the party “professionals” who make the party run at the national, state, & local levels.  2. The party in government – includes the party’s candidates & officeholders.  3. The party in the electorate – the millions of people who call themselves Republicans or Democrats and who support the party and its candidates.

5.  Vital link between the people and their government and between the government and the governed.  Control the political spectrum of views which is the range of political views. (extremists)  Nominate candidates (major function)  Informs & educates the people.  Acts as a “bonding agent” (ensures that candidates are qualified and moral)  Exhibits partisanship which is strong support of their party and policy stands.  Watchdog role – they watch over the other party.

6.  Democrats & Republicans – have their roots in the beginning of the nation itself through the Federalists & the Anti-Federalists.  Single-member districts – where only one candidate is elected to each office on the ballot.  Plurality – the largest number of votes cast for an office.  Bipartisan – the 2 major parties find common ground.  Consensus – a general agreement among various groups.

7.  Tend to produce a broader, more diverse representation of the electorate.  Coalition – a temporary alliance of several groups who come together to form a working majority and so to control government.

8. Two-Party System in American History

9.  1 st – Federalist – Alexander Hamilton – a party of the rich and the well-born – most supported the Constitution – worked to create a stronger national government – their viewpoints appealed to financial, manufacturing, & commercial interests.  2 nd – Anti-Federalists – later known as Jeffersonian Republicans or Democratic-Republicans – finally known as the Democratic Party – favored the “common man” – favored a very limited role for the new government – favored Congress.

10.  Incumbent – the current officeholder  Factions – competing groups  Spoils System – the practice of awarding public offices, contracts, and other government favors to those who supported the party in power  Electorate – the people eligible to vote  Sectionalism – emphasizes a devotion to the interests of a particular region.

11. Minor Parties

12.  Ideological Parties – those that are based on a particular set of beliefs or a comprehensive view of social, economic, & political matters. Most of these parties were built on some idea of Marxist thought. (Socialist, Socialist Labor, Socialist Worker, & Communist Parties)  Single-Issue Parties – focus on one simple social question (Right To Life Party – against abortion)

13.  Economic Protest Parties – no clear cut ideological base – rooted in economic discontent.  Splinter Parties – those parties that have split away from the larger parties ( The Bull Moose Party & The Dixiecrat Party)  Their importance = started the use of national conventions to nominate a president & play the role of “spoilers”

14. Party Organization

15. Reasons for decentralization:  Federalism  The nominating process

16.  Ward – a unit into which cities are often divided for the election of city council members.  Precinct – the smallest unit of election administration