Unit 3 Study Sheet 3.

1 Political Parties Political party- a group of people with similar ideas about government One Party System- a system of government where 1 political party is in charge all the time. THE PARTY IS THE GOVERNMENT. Examples Nazi Germany Dictatorship- leader of a country with absolute power, usually a leader of a communist or socialist country. Examples Hitler, Stalin, Kim Jung Il Two Party System- political system in USA. 2 major parties compete for power Advantages= stability in government, experienced politicians, and moderate stances by parties George Washingtons Warning: DONT HAVE POLTICAL PARTIES, THEY WILL DIVIDE THE COUNTRY Multi-Party System- many parties compete for power, the winner do not represent much of the population and make lots of people unhappy. Mexico, Lebanon, Brazil Coalition- parties combining in a multi-party system to try and control the government Democratic Republicans- early political party led by Thomas Jefferson. Strict interpretation of Constitution, former Anti-Federalists. Wanted weak central government, strong state government Federalists- early political party led by Alexander Hamilton. Loose interpretation of Constitution. Wanted a strong central or national government, wanted USA to be industrial. Whig- political party that started around 1860, just before Civil War, business based party Democrats- formed around 1800. Liberal, Big Government, Left Wing, Blue State Republican- formed in 1860 TO STOP THE SPREAD OF SLAVERY, Conservative, Small Government, Right Wing, Red State Political Machine- a very powerful and corrupt political party that controls a community. Ex Boss Tweeds democrats in NYC Favors for votes Third Party- tries to get major parties to adopt their ideas Issue based- focused on specific issue: exam Green Party wants us to clean up the plannet Single Idea- focused on a specific idea: exam Communist Party wants our government to become Communist Single Person- the party wants to promote the ideas of a single person, ex Libertarian Party promotes the ideas of Ron Paul, get rid of the Federal Income tax

Most Famous Third Party is Populists, remember Wizard of Oz 3.2 Political Party Organizations Anyone can be a member, just declare yourself a member GOOD political party members: Promote party ideals, raise$$$, vote and get candidates elected, register other voters Conservative= less government, keep things how they are Red State, Right Wing Liberal= more government, changeBlue State, Left Wing Moderate= someone with beliefs of both parties Precinct- where you vote- community broke into make precincts or voting districts Grassroots- local level face to face politics, literally talking to friends and neighbors about politics State Level Political Party- focuses on getting party members elected to state legislature and on gaining the governorship National Convention- delegates(state party leaders) gather every 4 years to create party platform and select Presidential and Vice-Presidential Candidates. Delegates- state party leaders Platform- a summary of all the partys beliefsWhat they think about abortion, gun control, taxes etc Plank- a partys belief on a single issue such as abortion or gun control 3.2 Political Parties Today Parties support candidate by raising $$, getting platform information to voters, registering people to vote. Patronage- elected leaders giving government jobs to other loyal party members Informing the public- parties let the public know what they think about certain issues through tv and radio ads, signs, stickers, speeches, and ESPECIALLY SOCIAL MEDIA Political parties are WATCHDOGS over one another. If the one party screws up or abuses their power the other party will alert the voters and the media. Linking government- both parties exist at local, state, and national levels. They have identical goals at each level. Non-partisan elections- some positions require the officeholder to not be affiliated by a political party so that they are not too biased. Examples include judges, sheriff, school board members

3.3 Election Campaign Nomination- getting chosen by the party to represent them in the election Campaign- going out into the community to gather support and votes Caucus- meeting of local political leaders to choose the best candidate from their party National Convention- meeting of state delegates to choose the best national candidate from the party and to write a platform or statement of beliefs Primaries- an election held to choose the candidates for an elected Open Primary- members of both parties can select candidates from both partiesbut pick the weakest candidate from the other partyleads to bad government Closed Primary- Democrats vote on the Democratic Candidates and the Republicans vote for the Republican candidates. The winners of these votes face each other in the election Endorsements- a famous person telling you to vote a certain wayHank Jr= John McCain, Paul McCartney=Obama Advertising- how parties get their message to the people. TV, radio, newspaper ads, Bumper stickers, signs Mudslinging- attacking the other candidate instead of saying something positive about yourself Symbolism- using American Icons to mold a public imageEver seen a political sign that wasnt red white and blue? Bandwagon- doing it just because someone else was Public Funding- citizens can donate $3 from their income tax to a political party to support national election campaigns Parties may spend as much money as they want to on candidates The candidate can spend as much of their own money on the election as they wantPeople who arent extremely rich do not run for President. Individuals can donate up to $1000 to a candidates campaign Political Action Committee- political groups that form to raise money for a political party- can only donate $5000 per candidate.

Election Day Precinct- where you actually vote. Every town divided up into voting districts called precincts Polls open early and close late to accommodate workers schedules Election day is always the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November. Straight ticket- voting for all the members of the same party in an elections Split ticket- voting for members of different parties in an election Absentee ballot- can be requested early by people who just moved or work out of town. Ballot by mail Exit poll- the media sometimes asks you who you voted for as you leave the precinct so they can speculate about who is winning the election State and Local Boards of Elections control elections, not the Federal Government Majority Vote- getting over half the votes, 51% Plurality Vote- getting the most votes, regardless of the % Initiative- the people vote on an issue that was brought to them BY THE PEOPLE Referendum- the people vote on an issue brought to them BY THE GOVERNMENT Runoff- a re-election if there is not a clear winner Recall- voting someone out of office Recount- a candidate can request that the votes be recounted if they suspect voter fraud 3.4 Right to Vote Must be 18, Must be US Citizen, Must live in the voting area Must register to vote no less than 25 days BEFORE an election Motor Voter Act- allows people to register to vote when they renew their drivers license Electorate- all of the eligible voters in an election Most likely to vote- the elderly Least likely to vote- under 25 Apathy- not voting due to lack of interest or not caring

Popular Sovereignty- the government gets its power to rule from the consent of the people, the people give that consent when they vote. When you vote you say I want this person to be in charge of me 3.5 Interest Groups Public Opinion- what the public or majority thinks about a person, issue etc. only 51% matters, the rest is ignored Public opinion polls ask people how they feel on issues Public opinion poll questions are very tricky and designed for people to give a specific answer Public opinion can be swayed by mass media, public figures, or special interest groups Mass media= TV, radio, internet.. KEY IN FORMING PUBLIC OPINION Special Interest Group- a group of people with similar ideas about an issueNRA, AARP, NAACP Public opinion polls attempt to have a random sample, which means the people they chose to take the poll represents a cross-sample of the population60 white, 30 blacks, 7 hispanics, 3 asians Lobbying- the act of trying to influence people (the government) on behalf of an interest group Lobbyists have been corrupt in the past, bribing officials to vote a certain way, viewed with skepticism Example Nick Naylor in Thank You for Smoking