POLS 1101 Lecture: Parties and Elections

Political Parties and Elections

Political Parties

Definition: Groups organized to control government through elections
- Select candidates
  - Recruit
  - Nominate
- Elect candidates
  - Get out the vote (GOTV)
  - Facilitate choice
- Organize and staff government
  - Congress: majority/minority; Executive: appointments
From Anti-Federalists to "Republicans" to Democrats
From Federalists to Whigs to Republicans
Current Party Strength by Region
- 2018 party ID by state
- Democrats: Northeast, Great Lakes, West
- Republicans: South, Upper Midwest, Plains
- Notice: BOTH are competitive in MANY areas...

Realignment

Third Parties
- Interests not addressed by major parties
Why only two major parties?
- Natural formation
- Shared basic beliefs
- Perception that 3rd parties can’t win. And...
- Rules: “SMDP”: Single-member-districts, Plurality elections & State ballot rules (federalism)

Elections

Voting Cues
- Party Identification: Socialization
- Issues
  - Manipulation?
- Candidate characteristics
  - Background, demographics
  - Personality
Who can vote?
Historically: expanding from white males to...
[audio extra: NPR story 6/7/01, "History of the Vote", requires RealPlayer]
- 15th Amendment (1870): African-American males
  - Discriminatory legal barriers enacted: literacy tests, poll taxes, "grandfather clauses", "White primaries"
- 19th Amendment (1920): females
- Poll Tax Amendment (1964)/Voting Rights Act (1965): outlaws voting discrimination
- 26th Amendment (1971): 18-year-olds
- “Motor-voter” Act (1993): registration
- Voter ID laws: prevent fraud or suppress votes?
  [video extra: Last Week Tonight: "Voting", 2/14/16. Warning: brief adult content]
What do votes mean?
- Primary, General, Recall, Electoral College (indirect)
- Rules can affect outcomes: Voting rules
- Different rules, different winners!
  [web extras: May the Best Man Lose, If you can't Win an Election...Change the Voting Rules, Approval Voting]

Money

Parties were once ‘people-based’
They are now ‘capital-intensive’
- Polling, Media, Mail, Phones, Web, Public Relations
These require MONEY
- Limits (recall chapter 5) make fund-raising harder
- Individuals and PACs are limited; Public funds (Pres)
- Candidate’s own money and Independent spending are not limited

Campaign Finance