1. Political Parties
Chapter 9
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2. Political Parties
S Definition: An organization that tries to win control of
government by electing people to office who carry the
party label.

3. Role of Political Parties in a
Democracy
S Keep elected official responsive
S Stimulate political interest
S Ensure accountability
S Help people make sense of complexity in politics
S Make government work

4. The American Two-Party
System
S Two Party System: A political system in which two parties
vie on relatively equal terms to win national elections.
S The United States comes closer to having a two-party
system than any other nation in the world.
S Most Western democracies have a multiparty system.
S A system in which three or more viable parties compete to
lead the government.

5. Proportional Representation
(PR)
S The United States has an unusual way in electing
representatives. (Which will be talked about on the next
slide).
S Other democratic nations use some form of proportional
representation to elect their representatives.
S In a PR system each party is represented in proportion to
the percentage of popular vote it receives in an election.
S This keeps minor parties active in politics.

6. Why a Two-Party System?
S Elections in the United States are organized on a winner-takes-
all, single member district basis.
S This arrangement creates a powerful incentive for parties to
come together and for voters to concentrate on two big parties.
S This forms plurality elections in which minor parties are
tempted to merge with a major party.
S This system discourages minor-party efforts because failure to
come in first in the voting leaves a party with no representation.
S From a voters standpoint, a vote for a minor party is a wasted
vote.

7. Role of Minor Parties in the
Two-Party System
S Minor parties form:
S Protest parties
S Ideological parties
S Single-issue parties
S Splinter parties
S These parties do not intend to win, they are just trying to
get important issues known.

8. Shifts in the Two-Party System
S Some scholars have developed a theory of party
realignment in which a party dominates American politics
for periods lasting between 30 and 40 years, then gives
way to the other major party during a short realigning
period as voting coalitions change.
Example:
S The New Deal coalition

9. The New Deal Coalition and
Dealignment
S A long time period of Democratic Party dominance. The
democrats won seven of nine presidential elections,
controlled the senate and the house, and claimed
majority.
S The Dealignment Era was the end of the coalition.
S This coalition declined when the Republicans won the
presidential election in 1968.
S The coalition collapsed in 1980 when with the republican
capture of the presidency and the Senate.

10. Divided Government
S Occurs when one party is in control of the presidency and
the other with majority in at least the house or senate
(Sometimes both).
S A divided government makes it hard to get things done in
office since nobody comes to agreements. This can lead to
a gridlock.
S A gridlock is a situation in which things cannot get done
due to a divided government.

11. Unified Government
S Control of the executive and legislative branches by the
same political party.
S This can make it easy for jobs to be carried out get things
accomplished.

12. Democratic and Republican
Parties Today
S Lose collections of local and state parties, campaign
committees, candidates and officeholders, and
associated interests and advocacy groups that get
together every four years to nominate presidential
candidate.

13. Congressional Campaign
Committees
S Republican and Democratic, for the House and for the
Senate.
S Aid members of Congress in their campaigns for reelection.
S They help raise money, provide media service, conduct
research, and do what ever else that is appropriate.

14. Party Ideologies
S Usually in the sense of being liberal or conservative.
S Democrats being liberal
S Republicans being conservative

15. Active Partisan and Leaners
S Active Partisans are people who identify with a party, vote
in elections, and participate in additional party and party-
candidate activities.
S Leaners are people who claim to be interdependent but
consistently favor one party over another.

16. Other Terms You Should Know
S Partisan: A committed supporter of a political party. Also,
seeing issues from the point of view of a single party.
S Party Platform: A party's statement of its positions on the
issues to reflect the preferences of the public as a way to
win elections.