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Political Behavior Government by the People

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Political Behavior Government by the People POLITICAL BEHAVIOR GOVERNMENT BY THE PEOPLE Political Parties Voters and Voter Behavior The Electoral Process Mass Media and Public Opinion Interest Groups Aspects of Political Parties Political Party - group of persons who seek to control government through the winning of elections and the holding of public office Democratic and Republican Functions of political parties Nominating candidates (conventions) Informing and activating supporters (Obama) Bonding agent (accountability) Governing (partisanship) Watchdog (opposition party) The Two-Party System Two-party system - system where two major parties dominate the political arena (Republican and Democratic) Minor parties (Libertarian, Reform, Green, etc.) Origins can be traced back to divisions in Washington’s administration The Electoral System Single-member districts Winner receives plurality (not necessarily majority) Discourages non-major party candidates Electoral College Party Systems Multiparty Systems One-party systems Several major and many Only one party is lesser parties compete for and win public office allowed to participate Parties based on in government particular interests such Prominent in just as economic class, about all religious belief, sectional dictatorships attachment, or political ideology Can occur in one Parties act in coalitions to form or another even win power through a in the United States working majority This system is prominent in many European countries The American Two-Party System Born out of factions led by Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton Federalist Democratic Republicans Era of the Democrats (1800-1860) Made up “common people” dominating the South and West Jefferson, Madison, Monroe, Jackson Era of the Republicans (1860-1932) Second era of one-party domination, made up by a diverse group including newly freed African-Americans Lincoln, Grant, McKinley, Roosevelt, Hoover Return of the Democrats (1932-1968) Led a shift in the public’s perception of the proper role of government in the lives of Americans, brought on by the Great Depression FDR, Truman, JFK, Johnson Era of Divide Government (1968-present) Neither party has maintained dominance, with power transitioning back and forth depending on national events Nixon, Carter, Reagan, Bush, Clinton, Bush, Obama The Minor Parties Ideological Parties Based on particular sets of beliefs Have a comprehensive view of social, economic, and political matters Most built on some form of socialist though Libertarian Party - focuses on individualism and doing away with most current functions of government Single-issue Parties Focus on only one public-policy matter Free Soil Party, American Party, Right to Life Party, Prohibition Party, Pot Party, etc. Economic Protest Parties Have emerged in eras of economic discontent, usually just proclaiming their disgust with the major parties Greenback Party, Populist Party, etc. Splinter Parties Parties that break away from one of the major parties, usually forming around the dominant personality of one individual Progressive Party (Roosevelt, La Follette, H. Wallace), State’s Rights Party (Dixiecrat), and American Independent Party (G. Wallace) Voters and Voter Behaviors Chapter 6 The Right to Vote Suffrage - the right to vote (also known as franchise) Electorate - the voting population (around 220 million) The Five Stages of Suffrage Banning of religious tests in the early 1800s African-American vote during Reconstruction (15th Amendment) Women's suffrage (19th Amendment) Equality in the polls (Voting Rights Act of 1965, 23rd, 24th Amendments) 18 year-olds in the 1970s (26th Amendment) Voter Qualifications Universal requirements Citizenship (generally must be a citizen) Residence (must live in the United States - no transients) Age (must be 18 - 26th Amendment) Other requirements Registration (must be registered to vote) Literacy (no longer a requirement in any state) Tax payment (no longer a requirement in any state) Denial of voting rights People in mental institutions/ mentally incompetent People who commit serious crimes (1/4 of states) Dishonorable discharge from military (few states) Suffrage and Civil Rights Fifteenth Amendment Gave African-American males the right to vote Was countered by literacy tests, poll taxes, grandfather clause, intimidation, violence, Gerrymandering, etc. Civil Rights Act of 1957 Established U.S. Civil Rights Commission Gave Attorney General power to prevent interference in voting Civil Rights Act of 1960 Provided for the appointment of federal voting referees Gave them power to help qualified voters vote Civil Rights Act of 1964 Outlawed discrimination in several areas such as employment Outlawed literacy tests Gave the federal government the power of injunctions to stop discriminatory actions Voting Rights Act of 1965 Applied the 15th Amendment to all elections both federal and local Suspended any literacy test still in existence and challenged the poll taxes in place at that time No new election laws can go into effect unless they receive preclearance from the Department of Justice States can apply for a “bail-out” if they can prove there has been no discrimination for the past 10 years The Electoral Process Chapter 7 The Nominating Process Self-announcement The candidate announces himself Usually done if someone fails to win a regular party nomination George Wallace, Ross Perot, Joe Lieberman Caucus A group of like-minded people who get together to select candidates they intend to support in an upcoming election Can be a “select” group of individuals or even already elected officials Basically dead at the national level Convention Replaced the caucus Party leadership elects delegates to send to a convention and select candidates as well Corruption caused many of these to fail in the late 1800s Direct primary Intra-party election - party members vote for candidates to narrow the field Closed primaries - only qualified voters who are members of that party Open primaries - any qualified voter Blanket primaries - every voter gets the same ballot, gets to vote for anyone Run-off primaries - second primary if nobody receives the majority Nonpartisan elections - elections where candidates are not identified with party labels (usually reserved for school boards and municipal positions) Petition Voters nominate candidates through a signed petition Elections Help America Vote Act of 2002 Came as a result of the 2000 Replace lever operated and punch-card devices Better train local election officials Centralize and computerize their voter registration systems Provide for provisional voting so challenged voters can vote later if found out to be legit Election day - first Tuesday after the first Monday of November Absentee voting - voting before election day without having to go to the polls The coattail effect - this is when a popular major candidate draws voters to others in the ballot Precinct - a voting district Polling place - the place where voters go to cast their ballots Ballot - the device by which a voter registers a choice in an election Money and Elections Sources of funding - private and public sources Contributions from citizens (about 10%) Wealthy citizens make donations to take care of their interests Candidates and their families/friends Political action committees (PACs) Temporary organizations that form for this purpose only during election years Party fundraisers and contributions Subsidies from the government The Federal Election Commission Enforces laws that cover these areas Timely disclosure of campaign finance data Limits on campaign contributions No more than $2100 to federal campaign election No more than $5000 to any PAC No more than $26,700 to a national party committee No more than $101,400 in an election cycle (two years) Limits on campaign expenditures Provide public funding for various parts of the presidential election process Hard money v. soft money Hard money - money raised and spent to elect candidates for Congress and the presidency Soft money - funds given to party organizations for candidate recruitment, voter registration drives, etc..
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