1. American Political Parties

2. Today’s Objective After today’s lesson, students will be able to…
Explain the purpose of political parties
Describe how the American two political party system established
Essential Skill
Gather and organize information

3. Political Party
An organized group with shared goals and ideals that joins together to run candidates for office and exercise political and electoral power.

4. Reflection What was the purpose of yesterday’s activity?
Did we learn anything about political parties?

5. Agree or Disagree 1. Political Parties are essential to our democracy
2. The world would be a better place if there were no political parties
3. Political Parties are okay…it is just not right that there are only two of them.
4. Not voting for one of the two major parties is a waste of your vote

6. Political Party Systems
3 Political Party Systems in the World
1. One Party System: Political party and the government are the SAME
Only 1 party, so no competing ideas
Party membership based on lineage, wealth, military power, religious power
Example: China (Communist Power)

7. Political Party Systems
2. Multi-Party System: Three or more parties compete for control of the government
Common in Europe, Israel, Japan
Advantage: Provides voters with many different choices and ideas
Disadvantage: Difficult for one party to get majority of votes, which leads to a coalition
Example: Italy (50 different governments since WWII)

8. Political Party System
3. Two-Party System: Two parties compete with each other to run the government
Example: United States of America
Democrats and Republicans

9. Benefits of Two Party System
Stabilizing
Keeps people near the center
Extreme ideas not supported by populace
Continuity
Government changes parties often
Transition is usually smooth

10. Disadvantages
Two party system does not allow voice of minority parties to be heard

11. The Constitution
Why isn’t there anything about parties in the Constitution?
Framers were against parties
Factions!
The first parties: Federalist and Anti-Federalists
Our two-party system actually tends to unify rather than divide
Both are moderate
Point of opening activity

12. Party Organization
National
State
Local

13. Party Organization National State Local ward and precinct committees
activists and volunteers
Local
party voters and identifiers

14. Party Organization National State Local city & county committees.
state committees & conventions
State
Congressional
district committees
city & county committees.
Local

15. Party Organization National State Local national party convention
chairperson and national committee
Local

16. Functions Candidate Recruitment
Parties need to find viable candidates for a whole range of elected positions at the federal and state level
Obstacles to recruitment include:
Time, Privacy, Finances, Prospects

17. Functions Organizing and Running Elections
Providing resources for candidates
Providing ideas for candidates

18. Functions Presenting alternatives to the electorate
Voters need choices among candidates and among policy alternatives
Democratic Party Platform
Republican Party Platform

19. Functions Operating the government Legislative leadership positions
Executive appointments
Judicial appointments

20. Functions
Providing organized “loyal” opposition to government (minority party or parties only)
Make sure, if not in power, that party is ready for next election
Leaders
Issues
Policies

21. Why do we have a two-party system?
The force of tradition
Ideological “consensus”
Free from bitter, fundamental disputes
Pluralistic, yet a lot of agreement
The electoral system

22. Electoral System
Our electoral system prevents more than two major parties
Most elections are for single-member districts
“Winner-take-all” elections
Requires a plurality
Why can’t a “third” party have a good chance?
Two viable choices: the incumbent party or next best chance party
The perception of the “wasted vote”
Very high bar to get name on the ballot

24. Parties
1. Which of a party’s functions do you think most Americans would say parties actually give the most attention and energy?
2. Which of a party’s functions do you think is the most subtle, with most Americans being unaware of it
3. Why do people feel their vote would be wasted if they vote for a party unlikely to win, in the typical “single-member districts?”
4. Can you think of an alternative way to elect representatives?

26. Alternative Option
Proportional Representation