AP U.S. GOVERNMENT & POLITICS – Linkages Linkage Institutions.
LINKAGE INSTITUTIONS… Not official parts of the United States government, but these institutions...
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Transcript of LINKAGE INSTITUTIONS… Not official parts of the United States government, but these institutions...
LINKAGE INSTITUTIONS…
Not official parts of the United States government, but these institutions are instrumental in connecting citizens with the
policymaking institutions(parties, elections, media, interest groups)
PART #1: Political parties, Elections, Voting
Figure 1.3
The Policymaking System
POLITICAL PARTIES
What is a Political Party?
• An organized effort from office holders, candidates and voters to gain and exercise power through the electoral process
The Constitution’s Views on Political Parties…
Not factored into the original design of the government. Why a big problem?
George Washington’s Views on Political Parties
Major Functions of Parties
Select candidates Formulate & implement policy (platform) Mobilization of voters (linkage function) Organize government (Congress) Monitor the opposing party (watchdog)
Changes in Party Preference…
Realignment Dramatic shifts in party preference The minor party becomes the major party Often times comes as a result of a
CRITICAL ELECTION
Secular realignment Gradual regional changes in party preference
What does a realignment look like?
Party Demographics ActivityPolitical Socialization: the process by which an individual acquires their political orientation
1. COMPLETE THE 10 OBSERVATIONS2. Complete the questions on the back.3. List 4 reasons why you think political parties might not be
as influential today as 100 years ago.
2012 Voting Demographics
Do men and women think differently about political issues?
Who identifies as a Democrat? A Republican?
Factors that Influence Party Selection (#1 voting indicator)
• Family• Income• The most & least educated tend to be Democratic• Women gravitate towards the Democratic party• Religion
– Protestant (R), Jewish (D), Catholic (D & R)
• Race– African-Americans and Hispanics tend to be Democratic
William “Boss” Tweed
1870-1920: Domination of the political machine
Trend: Power of the Parties have declined (dealignment)
Candidates raise most of their own $ Development of media & interest groups Elections and social services have changed
Ballot printing, other elections duties (counting) handled by government instead of parties
Roosevelt’s New Deal put social services in hands of government, not parties
Direct Primary: Voters decided who will run Civil Service Laws: Government jobs stress MERIT
Candidate-centered politics Shift to focus on candidates, their issues and
character rather than on party affiliation Leads to more TICKET SPLITTING
Voting for multiple parties
How has the two-party system developed?
“The Era of Good
Feelings”
A THIRD PARTY has never won a Presidential election.
A term used to describe a party other than the Democrats & Republicans.
Types of 3rd Parties
• Single Issue– Free Soil Party
• Ideological– Communist
• Splinter– Bull Moose
• Economic– Populist party
How would you classify the ones you looked at on Friday?
Trend: Voter support for 3rd parties has greatly declined over the last 20 years
Why Aren’t 3rd Parties More Successful in the US?
Rules written by D’s & R’s Winner take all system Difficult to get on the ballot Major finance issues
You need to earn 5%of the vote in the previous election to qualify for federal funding
So What Value Do Third Parties Have? (why do they even bother)
• Bring attention to ignored issues
• Winning is unlikely, but the potential to influence election outcomes exist– Perot in 1992– Nader in 2000
VOTING
Voting is the most common form of CONVENTIONAL political participation
Conventional: what we expect good citizens to doUnconventional: legal, but sometimes seen
as inappropriate
Who Is Most Likely to Vote…
• Wealthy (over $65,000)• College graduates• Whites vote more than minorities• Women vote more than men• Older citizens vote more than younger• Those interested in politics vote
How has the racial and ethnic composition of voters changed?
Why Don’t Americans Vote?
• Too busy/other commitments• Lack of interest• Low political efficacy• Difficulty in registration• Number of elections
– Voter fatigue
• Weakened political parties
Why don’t people vote?
Voters often cite VOTER FATIGUE & low POLITICAL EFFICACY
How Can We Increase Voter Turnout?
• Make Election Day a national holiday• Allow early voting to take place• Allow for mail and internet voting• Make registration easier
– National Voter Registration Act (1993)- “Motor/Voter Act”
– Allow same day registration– Automatic registration at age 18
• Modernize the ballot– Help American Vote Act (HAVA) -2001
2000 Presidential Election
Amendments Dealing With Voting…
• 15th: (1870)– removed racial barriers to voting
• 17th: (1913)– allowed for the direct election of US Senators
• 19th: (1920)– removed gender barriers for voting
• 24th: (1964)– eliminates use of the poll tax
• 26th: (1971)– voting age dropped to 18
States must abide by federal regulations (race, gender, age) but set a majority of their own guidelines
ELECTIONS…
Purposes of Elections:
Involve the people Fill public offices
Primary v. General Elections
Primary Elections: who will run for office? Closed:
Only registered party members vote Open:
Voters pick a party’s primary to vote in Blanket:
Voters can alternate between different parties for different offices
General Elections: Who will fill the office?
Primaries: Similarities & Differences Between the Parties
• Both parties use primaries to award delegates (people pledged to support a particular candidate) to the National Convention
• Republicans: winner take all• Democrats:
– Proportional– Use of SUPERDELEGATES
• Usually a national democratic party leader that can offset the extreme elements within the party
Special Elections...
Initiative: Voters propose legislation Referendum: Voters approve legislation
Recall: Politicians can be removed