1. Chapter 5 Political Parties

2. Section 1: Parties and What They Do What are the two main political parties in the United States? What do you know about these parties?

3. What is a Political Party? A group of persons who seek to control government through the winning of elections and the holding of public office. Elements -Party Organization -The Party in Government -The Party in the Electorate (People capable of voting)

4. The Party Organization Leaders, activists, and its many “hangers- on”—all those who give their time, money and skills, to the party.

5. Party in Government Party candidates and office holders, and people who run for, or hold elective or appointive offices in the executive, legislative and judicial branches.

7. What do Parties Do? Political Parties are essential to democratic government. They are often successful in their attempts to soften the impact of extremists at both ends of the political spectrum. Why is this important?

8. Nominating Candidates

10. Informing and Activating Supporters

11. Pg. 123 informing and activating supporters

12. Governing

13. The Watchdog Function

14. The Two- Party System Pg. 124- Last paragraph Chart- Pg. 126

15. Multiparty Systems Some critics argue that the American two- party system in the United States should be replaced with a multiparty system. In the multiparty system, the various parties are each based on a particular interest--- religious belief, economic class, political ideology. Supporters of the multiparty system claim that a change would provide for a broader representation of the electorate and be more responsive to the will of the people.

16. Multiparty Systems- Downfalls Multiparty systems tend to produce a broader, more diverse representation of the electorate. This leads to a party being able to win the support of a majority of voters.

17. One Party Systems In the typical dictatorship, only one political party is allowed to exist. Pg. 129- Last paragraph.

18. Section 2 Two- Party System in American History The beginnings of the American two- party system can be traced to the battle of ratification of the Constitution. Major Issue- Role of the government. First Political Parties -Federalists -Anti- Federalists

19. Federalists Formed by Alexander Hamilton. Party of the “rich and well- born.” Most had supported the Constitution. Wanted to create a strong national government. Appealed to financial, manufacturing, and commercial interests.

20. Anti- Federalists Led by Thomas Jefferson More sympathetic to the “common man.” Favored a limited role for the new government. Policies should help the nation’s small shopkeepers, laborers, and farmers. By 1828, became the Democratic party.

21. Era of Democrats: 1800-1860

22. Era of Republicans: 1860-1932

23. Era of Democrats: 1932-1968

24. Era of Divided Government: 1968- Today

25. Era of Divided Government Read- Pg. 134-136. Questions?

26. Section 4 Party Organization The two major parties are often described as though they were highly organized, close- knit, well disciplined groups. However, neither party is anything of the kind. Republicans and Democrats are highly decentralized, fragmented, and plagued by factions and internal squabbling.

27. The Role of the Presidency

28. The Nominating Process

29. National Party Machinery At the national level, both major parties are composed of basic elements. – National Convention – Congressional Campaign Committees

30. National Party Convention Philadelphia Democratic National Convention- 2012

31. Congressional Campaign Committees Work to reelect incumbents and to make sure that “open seats” remain in the party. Main job- Get their party elected.

32. State and Local Machinery State Organization In most states, party structure is decentralized, most structure is at the national level. Usually built around a State central committee, headed by a state chairperson, and composed of members who represent major geographic regions, usually counties.

33. Local Organization Very difficult to describe. Varies state to state. Ward- A unit into which cities are often divided for the election of city council members. Precinct- The smallest unit of election administration. The voters in each precinct cast their ballots at one polling place. MontcoCommittees MontcoCommittees

34. Chapter 6: Voters and Voter Behavior

35. Section 1: The Right to Vote The History of Voting Rights The Framers of the Constitution purposely left the power to set suffrage qualifications to each state. Suffrage- The right to vote.

36. Expansion of the Electorate When the Constitution went into effect in 1789, the right to vote was generally restricted to white male property owners. Pg. 152- 1 st paragraph, Ben Franklin quote Today more than 230 million people, qualify to vote.

37. Extending Suffrage: The Five Stages Jigsaw Activity- 5 groups

38. 1

39. 2

40. 3

41. 4

42. 5

43. The Power to Set Voting Qualifications The Constitution does not give the Federal government the power to set suffrage qualifications. That matter is reserved to the states. However, the Constitution does place five restrictions on the ability of the states. To exercise that power.

44. 5 Restrictions on the States 1.People who vote in state elections must be able to vote in national elections. 2.No state can deprive any person the right to vote “on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.” (15 th Amendment) 3.No state can deprive any person of the right to vote on account of sex. (19 th Amendment) 4.No state can require a person pay a tax in order to vote. 5.No state can deprive any person who is at least 18 years of age the right to vote (26 th Amendment)

45. Section 2: Voter Qualifications Universal Qualifications 1.Citizenship 2.Residence 3.Age

46. Citizenship Aliens, foreign- born residents who have not become citizens are generally denied the right to vote. (Any state could allow aliens to vote.) PA Law- A person must be a citizen for a month prior to the election in order to vote.

47. Residence In order to vote in the US today, one must be a legal resident of the state in which he or she wishes to cast a ballot. Reasons 1.To keep a political machine from bringing in enough outsiders to affect the outcome of an election. 2.Allow new voters some time to become familiar with the candidates and issues in an upcoming election.

48. Age Pg. 158- 26 th Amendment No state can set the minimum age for voting in any election at more than 18 years of age. Pg. 158- Last paragraph

49. Registration A procedure of voter identification intended to prevent fraudulent voting. Gives election officials a list of those persons who are qualified to vote in an election. Information Name, place of birth, current residence.

50. Pg. 159- images

51. Literacy Today, no state has a suffrage qualification based on literacy. Used as a form of discrimination against African Americans. Literacy Test

52. Tax Payment Property ownership, proved by the payment of property taxes was once a very common suffrage qualification. Poll Tax- Used as discrimination. Outlawed by the 24 th Amendment.

53. Persons Denied the Vote Patients of mental institutions, or any other person found to be mentally incompetent. Felons. Over recent years, some states have made it possible for the majority of convicted felons to regain the right to vote. Pg. 163- Image. Thoughts?

54. Section 3: Suffrage and Civil Rights How important is the right to vote? Do we as Americans take it for granted?

55. 15 th Amendment Ratified in 1870. The right to vote can not be denied to any citizen of the United States because of “race, color, or previous condition of servitude.” For nearly 90 years the Federal Government paid little attention to the voting rights of African Americans.

56. History African Americans were generally and systematically kept from polls in much of the South. White Supremacists employed a number of tactics to keep African Americans from voting. Violence Subtle threats and social pressures Example- Firing an African American man for trying to register to vote, or denying his family credit at a local store.

57. Video

58. Legislation Civil Rights Act of 1957- Created the United States Commission on Civil Rights. Major Duty- Inquire into claims of voter discrimination. Civil Rights Act of 1964- Outlaws discrimination in regards to voting rights. Forbids the use of a literacy requirement in an unfair manner. Violence- Pg. 165, last paragraph

59. Voting Rights Act of 1965 Suspended the use of literacy tests. Federal officers could oversee the conduct of elections. No new voting laws could go into effect unless approved by the Department of Justice. South Carolina v. Katzenbach- pg. 167 last paragraph. Video

60. Section 4: Voter Behavior

61. Nonvoting 1 st sentence There are millions of Americans that do not vote. 2012- 221 million persons of voting age. Only 130 million actually voted in the presidential election. (58 percent) The farther down the ballot an office is the fewer votes it will receive. Pg. 171- Chart.

62. Comparing Voters and Nonvoters Paragraph Comparison Take notes. We will discuss as a group.

65. Sociological Factors Read paragraphs Thoughts?

66. Income and Occupation Professional and business people, and others with higher incomes are more likely to vote Republicans. Manual labor workers, and others in low income brackets tend to vote for Democrats. Exceptions- 1964, 2008, 2012

67. Education Studies of voter behavior reveal that there is a close relationship between the level of a voter’s education and how he or she tends to vote. College graduates tend to favor Republicans.

68. Gender and Age Women generally tend to favor the democrats by a margin of five to ten percent, and men give the GOP a similar edge. Men and women are most likely to vote differently on issues such as abortion, health care, and military involvement. Younger voters tend to favor Democrats whereas older voters tend to favor Republicans.

69. Ethic Background For decades, African Americans have consistently supported Democrats. Latin Americans typically favor Democrats also.