Gov. Lesson 3 Political Behavior-Government by the People

info on political parties

1. Describe the nominating function of political parties. The major function of political parties is to nominate, or name, candidates for public office. The parties select candidates and then present them to the voters. The parties then work to help their candidates win elections. A functioning democracy, there must be a procedure for recruiting candidate for office. There is must also a mechanism for gathering support and votes for these candidates, and political parties are the best device found to do those jobs. The nominating function is almost exclusively a party function in the United States which sets political parties apart from all of the other groups in politics. 2. Describe the informer activator function of political parties. The political parties inform the people and activate their interest and participation in public affairs. The news media and interest groups also perform the informing function. Political parties try to inform and inspire voters by campaigning for their candidates, taking stands on issues, and criticizing the candidates and the positions of their opponents. The political parties try to inform the people as it thinks they should be informed, usually to its own advantage. For example, a party selects information in order to present its own positions and candidates in the best possible light. Political parties conduct this informing process through pamphlets, signs, buttons, stickers, newspapers, magazines, television, the Internet, speeches, rallies, and conventions. Both political parties want to win elections so they shape positions that will attract as many voters as possible while offending as few voters as possible. 3. Describe the "bonding agent" function of political parties. Political parties act as a "bonding agent" to ensure the good performance of its candidates and officeholders. The political parties choose their candidates based on good character and qualifications for office. The political parties prompt their successful candidates to perform well in office. The democratic process imposes this bonding agent on a party. If the party fails to assume this responsibility, both the party and its candidates may suffer the consequences in future elections. 4. Describe the governmental function of political parties. Government in the United States is government by party. For example, public officeholders are regularly chosen on the basis of party. Congress and State legislatures are organized on party lines and they conduct much of their business on the basis of partisanship. Partisanship is the strong support of their party and its policy stands. Most appointments to executive offices at the federal and State levels are made while considering party considerations. Political parties provide a basis for the conduct of government. The executive and legislatives branches must cooperate with one another to accomplish anything and political parties serve as the channels through which these two branches are able to work together. Political parties have played a significant role in the process of constitutional change which is seen in the Constitution's cumbersome system for electing the President which works because political parties reshaped it in its early years, making it work ever since. 5. Describe the watchdog function of political parties. Political parties act as watchdogs over the conduct of the public's business, which is especially true with the party out of power. The party out of power plays this role as it criticizes the policies and behavior of the party in power. The party in power is the party that controls the executive branch of government. The party out of power attempts to convince the voters that the "outs" should become the "ins" and the "ins" should become the "outs." The criticism of the "out" party tends to make the "in" party more careful of their public charge and more responsive to the wishes and concerns of the people. The party out of power plays the important role of being opposed to the party in power but loyal to the people and the nation.

poll tax

Property ownership proved by property taxes was once a common suffrage qualification. Several States also demanded the payment of a special tax, called the poll tax, as a condition for voting. Those requirements described along with others that require payment of a tax in order to vote are no longer in place.

political efficacy

A large number of people who deliberately stay away from the polls do so because they distrust politics and politicians. These people have no sense of political efficacy. Political efficacy means that the people lack any sense of their own influence or effectiveness in politics and many believe that they have been squeezed out of the political process.

multiparty system

A multiparty system is a system in which multiple political parties across the political spectrum run for national election. All multiparty systems have the capacity to gain control of government offices, separately, or in coalition. Multiparty systems also tend to be more common in parliamentary systems than presidential systems.

one party system

A one-party system is a type of state in which one political party has the right to form the government. The one-party system usually bases their ideas on the Constitution. In this one-party system, all other parties are either outlawed or allowed to take only limited and controlled participation in elections.

gerrymandering

Gerrymandering is the practice of drawing electoral district lines. These electoral district lines are the boundaries of the geographic area from which a candidate is elected to a public office. Gerrymandering was put in place in order to limit the voting strength of a particular group or party.

consensus

The Americans in the United States consist of various ethnic, racial, religious, and other social groups compete for political power in the United States. However, there is a broad consensus, a general agreement among various groups based on fundamental matters. A consensus does not always mean that Americans agree with one another in all matters.

injunction

The Civil Rights Act of 1964 relied on judicial action to overcome racial barriers and emphasized the use of federal court orders called injunctions. An injunction is a court order that either forces or limits the performance of some act by a private individual or by a public official. Violating an injunction amounts to contempt of court, a crime punishable by fine and/or imprisonment.

dem and rep cross section

The Democratic and Republican parties have been composed of a cross section of the nation's population because each party is trying to gain more votes than their opponents so they must attract as much support as the possibly can. Each party is made up of Protestants, Catholics, Jews, whites, African Americans, Latinos, other minorities, professionals, farmers, and union members. Each party also includes the young, middle-aged, elderly, city-dwellers, suburbanites, and rural residents.

voter vs. nonvoter characteristics

1. Describe the characteristics of people who tend to vote regularly. People who tend to vote regularly display such characteristics as higher levels of income, education, and occupational status. They are usually well integrated into community life and tend to be long-time residents who are active in or comfortable with their surroundings. They likely have a strong sense of party identification and believe that voting is an important act. They also likely live in areas where laws, customs, and competition between the parties all promote turnout. 2. Describe the characteristics of nonvoters. The opposite characteristics of voters produce a profile of those less likely to vote. Nonvoters are likely to be younger than age 35, unmarried, and unskilled. More nonvoters lives in the South and in rural locales. Women are more likely to vote today than men.

pluralistic society

: Americans have shared many of the same basic principles, ideals, and patterns of belief over time. However, Americans are not all alike and the United States is a pluralistic society. A pluralistic society consist of several distinct cultures and groups whose members of increasingly various ethnic, racial, religious, and other social groups who compete for and share in the exercise of political power in the United States.

franchise

A franchise is an authorization granted by a government or company to an individual or group. The individual or group are also enabled to carry out specified commercial activities. An example of a franchise is providing a broadcasting service or acting as an agent for a company's products.

political parties

A general definition of a political party is a group of persons who seek to control government through the winning of elections and the holding of public office. There are two major parties in American politics, the Republican and Democratic parties. A specific definition of a political party is a group of persons, joined together on the basis of common principles, who seek to control government in order to affect certain public policies and programs.

state qualifications to vote

Aliens are generally denied the right to vote in the United States, but nothing in the Constitution says that aliens cannot vote. Any State can allow aliens to vote and at one time about one fourth of the States, typically western, permitted those aliens who had applied for naturalization to vote. The Minnesota constitution requires a person to have been an American citizen for at least months before he or she can vote there while Pennsylvania's constitution says that one must have become a citizen at least one month before an election in order to vote there. One must be a legal resident of the State in which he or she wishes to cast a ballot. Most States require a person to have lived in that State for a certain period of time before he or she can vote. The States adopted residence requirements to keep a political machine from importuning enough outsiders to affect the outcome of local elections and to allow new voter at least some time to become familiar with the candidates and issues in an election. Today's shorter requirements are a result of the 1970 law and 1972 Supreme Court decision which banned any requirement longer than 30 days for voting in presidential elections. The 26th Amendment declare that no State may set the minimum age for voting in any election at more than 18 years of age. Before the 26th Amendment, the generally accepted age for voting was 21. Up to 1970, only four States had put the age under 21 with Georgia being the first in 1943. Now, some 17-year-olds can cast ballots in primary elections in certain States. All States except North Dakota require voters to be registered to vote. Registration is used to prevent fraudulent voting and it gives election officials a list of those persons who are qualified to vote in an election. Many States also use voter registration to identify voters in terms of their party preference and their eligibility to take part in primaries. Voter registration became common in the 1900s and is required in most States for every election. However, Wisconsin only requires those in urban areas to register to vote. A prospective voter must register his or her name, age, place of birth, present address, length of residence, and similar facts. Voters typically remain registered until he or she moves, dies, is convicted of a serious crime, or is committed to a mental institution. Every State does deny the right to vote to anyone in mental institutions or anyone who have been found legally incompetent to vote. Most States disqualify those who have been convicted of serious crimes the right to vote. A few States do not allow anyone dishonorably discharged from the armed forces to vote.

Political Party Domination/Evaluation: Thomas Jefferson's election in 1800 ushered in an era of Democratic domination until the election of Lincoln in 1860. Lincoln's election resulted in Republican domination until 1932. Democrats regained their domination in 1932 with the election of Franklin Roosevelt and held it until 1968. Please write one paragraph describing the characteristics of each political era below.

Democrats, 1800-1860: The election in 1800 with Thomas Jefferson marked the beginning of a period of Democratic domination that would last until the Civil War. The Federalists, defeated in 1800, disappeared by 1816. By the mid-1820s the Democrats and Republicans had split into factions, marking a basic shift in the public's attitude toward the proper role of government in the nation's social and economic life. New party alignments were made inevitable by major issues of the day like public lands, the Second Bank of the United States, high tariffs, and slavery. Andrew Jackson drew much of his support from the South and West and produced three fundamental changes in the nation's political landscape including voting rights for all white males, an increase in the number of elected offices around the country, and the spread of the spoils system. The growing crisis over slavery split the Democrats into the North and South by the 1850s, causing the nation to drift towards civil war. b. Republicans, 1860-1932: The Civil War was the start of the second era of one-party domination for almost 75 years. The Republicans were supported by business and financial interests, farmers, laborers, and newly freed African Americans. The GOP remained the dominant party well into the twentieth century and the Democrats were only able to survive through their hold on the "Solid South." The election of 1896 was critical in the development of the two-party system and William McKinley's victory drew a response from a broader range of the electorate. However, Woodrow Wilson was able to capture the presidency for the Democrats in 1912. The GOP did win the elections with Warren Harding in 1920, Calvin Coolidge in 1924, and Herbert Hoover in 1928. c. Democrats, 1932-1968: The Great Depression's effect on the American political landscape. In 1932, Franklin Roosevelt and the Democrats won the election with a new electoral base that was built largely on southerners, small farmers, organized labor, and big-city political organizations further strengthening the coalition. By heavy majorities, President Roosevelt won the reelection in 1936, secured an unprecedented third term in 1940, and another term in 1944. The Republicans managed to regain the White House from 1952 to 1956. However, John F. Kennedy recaptured the White House for the Democrats in 1960.

Martin Luther King Jr. was a civil rights leader and winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964. In 1965, he led the peaceful protest against voter discrimination in Montgomery, Alabama. Please write two paragraphs addressing Dr. King's demand to end voting restrictions and explain the role Dr. King played in the civil rights laws passed by Congress.

Dr. King demanded to end voting restrictions and worked to see that change. Dr. King became a civil rights activist early in his career and led peaceful protests to end voting restrictions for African Americans. King led the 1955 Montgomery bus boycott and helped found the Southern Christian Leadership Conference in 1957, serving as its first president. King also helped organize the 1963 nonviolent protests in Birmingham, Alabama. One of King's most memorable acts demanding to end voting restrictions was the 1963 March on Washington, where he delivered his famous "I Have a Dream" speech. Dr. King played a very important role in the civil rights laws passed by Congress. Following the Civil Rights Act of 1964, King mounted a voter registration drive in Selma, Alabama in early 1965. King and his supporters hoped that they could focus national attention on the issue of African American voting rights, and they did. Their registration efforts were met with insults and violence form white civilians, police, and State troopers. President Lyndon Johnson was outraged and urged Congress to pass new and stronger legislation to ensure the voting rights of African Americans, and Congress responded quickly. Due to his actions, on October 14, 1964, Dr. King was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for combating racial inequality through nonviolent resistance.

precinct

Local party structures vary widely, but generally follow the electoral map of the State. A precinct is the smallest unit of election administration. Voters from each precinct report to one polling place in their precinct.

coalition

Multiparty systems tend to produce a diverse representation, making it hard for one party to when the majority of voters. The powers to govern must be shared by a number of parties, in a coalition. A coalition is a temporary alliance of several groups who come together to form a working majority and so to control a government.

new era with nixon

The unusual feature of the New Era was how divided the government was with the frequent changes of political parties in office. Through much of the period, Republicans controlled the White House while the Democrats controlled Congress. Richard Nixon successfully returned to politics in 1968, but was forced from office in 1974 due to his role in the Watergate scandal. Vice President Gerald Ford then became president, but lost the presidency to Democrat Jimmy Carter in 1976 due to problems in the economy and the continuing effects of Watergate. Jimmy Carter was defeated in 1980 due to a worsening economy, political fallout from the Iranian hostage crisis, and his inability to establish himself as an effective president. The Republicans won back office with Ronald Reagan in 1980 and 1984 and with George Bush in 1988. These victories triggered wind-ranging efforts to alter many if the nation's foreign and domestic policies. However, Democrat Bill Clinton won in 1992 and 1996. The GOP regained the White House in 2000 with George W. Bush.

plurality

There are contests in which only one candidate is elected to each office on the ballot. These winner-take-all elections require the winning candidate to receive a plurality. A plurality is the largest number of votes cast for the office. A plurality does not need to be a majority, which is more than half of all votes cast.

splinter parties

There are numerous minor parties that vary greatly, making them difficult to describe and classify, like splinter parties. Splinter parties have split away from one of the major parties and most of the important minor parties in United States politics have been splinter parties. Leading splinter groups include the parties of Theodore Roosevelt, Robert La Follette, Henry Wallace, and George Wallace.

electorate

When one of the political parties wins, they drew a response from a broader range of the electorate. The electorate is made up of the people eligible to vote. The Republicans won the electorate in 1896 with William McKinley and the Republicans were able to maintain their role as the dominant party in national politics for three more decades.

3 psychological factors that affect voting behavior

a. A majority of Americans identify themselves with one of the major parties early in life and never change. Party identification is the single most significant and lasting predictor of how a person will vote. Voting for candidates of only one party in an election is called straight-ticket voting while split-ticket voting is the practice of voting for the candidates of more than one party in an election. There are also many voters that call themselves independents which is used to identify those people who have no party affiliation. b. The impression a candidate makes on the voters can impact how they will vote, potentially causing them to not vote for their party. Candidates can impact voters with their personality, character, style, appearance, past record, abilities, image, and so on. c. Issues can also have an impact on voter behavior. The role of issues varies depending on the emotional content of the issue themselves, the voters' awareness of them, and the ways in which they are presented to the electorate. The tumultuous nature of politics over the years, highlighted by the civil rights movement, the Vietnam War, the feminist movement, the Watergate scandal, and the economic problems are responsible for this heightened concern.

civil rights acts

a. Civil Rights Act of 1960: The Civil Rights Act of 1960 added an additional safeguard to the Civil Rights Act of 1957. It provided for the appointment of federal voting referees. These officers were to serve anywhere a federal court found voter discrimination. The officers were given the power to help qualified persons to register and vote in federal elections. b. Civil Rights Act of 1964: The Civil Rights Act of 1964 is broader and more effective than either of the two earlier measures. This act outlaws discrimination in several areas, especially in job-related matters. The act also forbids the use of any voter registration or literacy requirement in an unfair or discriminatory manner. The 1964 law relied on judicial action to overcome racial barriers and emphasized the use of federal court orders called injunctions, which are court orders that either compels or retrains the performance of some act by a private individual or public official. c. Civil Rights Act of 1965: The 15th Amendment became a truly effective part of the Constitution and applied to all elections held anywhere in the United State. The 1965 law directed the attorney general to challenge the constitutionality of the remaining Stat poll-tax laws in federal courts. The law also suspended the use of any literacy test or similar device in any State or county where less than half of the electorate has been registered or voted in the 1964 presidential election. The law authorized the attorney general to appoint voting examiners and gave these federal officers the power to register voters and oversee the conduct of elections.

What are the main elements of party organization at the national, state, and local levels?

a. National level: Both major parties at the national level have four basic structural elements. These elements included the national convention, the national committee, the national chairperson, and the congressional campaign committees. The national convention is the party's national voice and meets in the summer of every presidential election year to nominate the party's presidential and vice-presidential candidates. The national convention also adopts the party's rules and writes its platform. The national committee handles the party's affairs and staging the party's national convention every more years. Traditionally, the national committee was made up of a committeeman and committeewoman from each State and several territories, but recently both parties have expanded the committee's membership. The national chairperson is the leader of the national committee and he or she is chosen to a four-year term by the national committee, at a meeting held after the national convention. The choice is made by the newly nominated presidential candidate and then ratified by the national committee. The national chairperson directs the work of the party's headquarters and its staff in Washington while working on campaigns and strengthening the party by promoting party unity, raising money, and recruiting new voters. The congressional campaign committees are located in each house of Congress and these committees work to reelect incumbents and to make sure the seats given up by retiring party members remain in the party. The committee members are chosen by their colleagues to serve two years and they also work to unseat incumbent in the other party. b. State level: Party structure is largely set by State law and party machinery is built around a State central committee, headed by a State chairperson. The chairperson usually fronts for the governor, a U.S. senator, or other powerful leader in the politics of the State. The chairperson and central committee work to further the party's interests in the State. They attempt to do this by building an effective organization and party unity as well as finding candidates and campaign funds. However, both major parties are highly fragmented by struggles for power which can complicate the chairperson's and committee's job. c. Local level: Local party structures are set by State law, but they also vary widely. Local parties generally follow the electoral map of the State, with a party unit for each district in which elective offices are filled. These offices are in congressional and legislative districts, counties, cities, towns, wards, and precincts. A ward is a unit into which cities are often divided for the election of city council members and a precinct is the smallest unit of election administration in which the voters in each precinct report to one polling place. In larger cities, a party's organization is broken down by residential blocks and apartment buildings. Local party organizations are often year-round in some locations, but they are inactive most of the time except for the few months before an election.

5 restrictions on voting qualifications placed by constitution

a. Restriction 1: Any person allowed to vote for members of the "most numerous branch" of its own legislature must also be allowed to vote for representatives and senators in Congress. Each of the States allows the same voters to vote in all elections with only minor exceptions. b. Restriction 2: No State can deprive anyone the right to vote based on race, color, or previous condition of servitude (15th Amendment). c. Restriction 3: No State can deprive anyone the right to vote based on sex (19th Amendment). d. Restriction 4: No State can require payment of any kind of tax as a condition for taking part in the nomination or election of any federal officeholder. No State can levy any tax in connection with the selection of the President, Vice President, or members of Congress (24th Amendment). e. Restriction 5: No State can deprive anyone who is at least 18 years of age the right to vote because of their age (26th Amendment).

5 stages of struggles to extend voting rights

a. Stage 1: The first stage of the struggle to extend voting rights came in the early 1800s when religious qualifications disappeared. No State has had a religious test for voting since 1810. States also eliminated property ownership and tax payment qualifications and by mid-century, almost all white adult males could vote in every State. b. Stage 2: The second major effort to broaden the electorate followed the Civil War when the 15th Amendment was ratified in 1870. The 15th Amendment intended to protect any citizen from being denied the right to vote because of race or color. However, for almost another century, African Americans were prevented from voting, making them the largest remaining group of disenfranchised citizens in the nation's population. c. Stage 3: The 19th Amendment was ratified in 1920 and prohibited the denial of the right to vote because of sex. Its ratification completed the third expansion of suffrage. Wyoming had given women the right to vote in 1869 and more than half of the States had followed that lead by 1920. d. Stage 4: A fourth major extension occurred in the 1960s when federal legislation and court decisions focused on securing African Americans a full role in the electoral process in all States. With the passage and enforcement of numerous civil rights acts, including the Voting Rights Act of 1965, racial equality finally occurred in the polling booths throughout the country. The 23rd Amendment, passed in 1961, added the voters of District of Columbia to the presidential electorate while the 24th Amendment, ratified in 1964, eliminated the poll tax as a condition for voting in any federal election. e. Stage 5: The latest expansion of the electorate came with the adoption of the 16th Amendment in 1971. The 26th Amendment provides that no State can set the minimum age for voting at more than 18 years of age. Meaning, those 18 and over were given the right to vote by the 26th Amendment.

reasons for two party system in US

a. The historical basis: The two-party system is rooted in the beginnings of the nation itself because the Framers of the Constitution were opposed to political parties. The ratification of the Constitution saw the birth of America's first two parties: the Federalists, led by Alexander Hamilton, and the Anti-Federalists, who were led by Thomas Jefferson. The American party system began as a two-party system. The Framers hoped to create a unified country and they sought to bring order out of the chaos of the Critical Period of the 1780s. Most of the Framers viewed political parties as "factions" and therefore agents of disunity. This view was reflected by George Washington in his Farewell Address in 1796 when he warned the new nation against "the baneful effects of the spirit of party." The Constitution made no provision for political parties and the Framers could not foresee the ways in which the governmental system they set up would develop. Thus, the Framers could not possibly know that two major parties would emerge in the United States government. The Framers could not also know that those two main parties would tend to be moderate, choose middle-of-the-road positions, and help to unify rather than divide the nation. b. The force of tradition: Human institutions are likely to become self-perpetuating which has been observed with the two-party system. The fact that the nation began with a two-party system has been a leading reason for the retention of a two-party system, which over time, has become an increasingly important and self-reinforcing reason. Most Americans accept the idea of the two-party system because there has always been one which also explains why minor parties have made little headway in challenging the system. America has a two-party system because America has a two-party system. c. The electoral system: Several features of the American electoral system like the basic shape and many other details work in the direction of two major political parties. Single-member districts are one of the most important of these features because nearly all of the elections held in this country are single-member district elections. Meaning, only one candidate is elected to each office on the ballot. The winner receives the plurality, or the largest number of votes cast for the office, which does not need to be the majority. The single-member district pattern works to discourage minor parties because only one winner can come out of each contest, making voters vote for the candidate of the party holding the office or for the candidate of the party with the best chance of replacing the current officeholder. Most voters view a minor party candidate as a "wasted vote." Republicans and Democrats act in a bipartisan way in discouraging non-major party candidates by working together and finding common ground. For example, they deliberately shape election laws to preserve, protect, and defend the two major parties and the two-party system, thus frustrating the minor parties.

Discuss three sociological factors that affect voter behavior.

a. Voters in lower income brackets are more likely to be Democrats while voters with higher incomes tend to be Republicans. Voters in higher income groups supported the President by wide margins and most often, how much one earns and what one does for a living are closely related. Professional and business people tend to vote for Republican candidates while manual workers usually vote for Democrats. With the exception of 1964, professional and business people have voted heavily Republican in every presidential election. b. Studies have revealed that there is also a close relationship between the level of the voter's education and how he or she votes. College graduates vote for Republicans in higher percentages than do high-school graduates and high-school graduates vote Republican more often than do those who have only gone through grade school. c. The gender gap first appeared in the presidential election of 1980. Women generally favor the Democrats by five or ten percent while men often give the GOP a similar edge. However, the gender gap was less apparent in 2004. Many studies show that men and women are most likely to vote differently when issues such as abortion, health care, other social welfare matters, or military involvements abroad are prominent in an election. Younger voters are more likely to be Democrats while older voters are more likely to be more attracted to the GOP.

minor party' Bull Moose (Progressive)

b. Major characteristics: The Bull Moose Party nominated Theodore Roosevelt as its candidate in the presidential election of 1912. The name "Bull Moose" was a reference to the party's presidential candidate, Theodore Roosevelt. This political party was founded by progressive Republicans, including Theodore Roosevelt, who left the GOP convention and opposed the conservatism of the regular Republican Party. The Bull Moose Party served as a center for progressive political thinking. However, much of the party was reabsorbed into the Republican fold in 1916. c. Political agenda: The Bull Moose Party supported minimum wage, workers' compensation, and women's suffrage. The political party wanted government to work to improve social and economic conditions for the people. The political party called for the direct election of United States Senators, reduction of the tariff, and many other social reforms as well. The Bull Moose Party also advocated "a contract with the people." During its existence, the Bull Moose Party was centered on progressive political thinking and influenced Woodrow Wilson's reform agenda.