political system parties, elections, local government
TRANSCRIPT
Political Parties
American politics is based upon the
Two-Party System.
Other parties (“third” parties) are free to
participate; however, the system is set up in
such a way as to make it difficult for third
parties to be successful.
• Single Issue
• Winner-Take-All System
• Ballot Access Laws
• Rules for Participation in Debates
Barriers to Third Party Success
Third parties must differentiate themselves
from the two major parties in order to be
appealing to the public.
So they typically try to gain traction1 by
focusing on a single important issue – for
example, environmental protection, fiscal
responsibility, etc.
1traction – the extent to which a product, idea, etc., gains
popularity or acceptance
Third Parties – Single Issue
If the issue is important enough, one or both
of the main political parties may attempt to
absorb the issue into their own platform1,
stealing the thunder2 of the third party.
1 the declared policy and beliefs of a political party or group
2 steal someone’s thunder – to preempt someone else’s
presentation or attempt to impress in order to win attention or
praise for oneself
Third Parties – Single Issue
In American elections, the candidate with the
largest number of votes wins, even if the
margin of victory is extremely narrow or the
proportion of votes received is not a majority.
Some countries have run-off elections if no
candidate receives a majority of votes.
America does not use this method at the
national level.
Winner-Take-All System
Nationally, ballot access laws are the major
challenge to third party candidacies.
There are multiple criteria for candidates to
appear on a state’s ballot. Most importantly, a
candidate must get a certain number of
voter’s from each state to sign a petition1 in
support of the candidate.
1Petition – a formal written request, typically signed by many people,
appealing to authority with respect to a particular cause
Ballot Access Laws
Rules for participating in presidential debates
have changed over time.
Currently, debate participants must receive at
least 15% in pre-debate opinion polls before
they are allowed to participate in debates.
Rules for Participation in Debates
Also called the GOP (Grand Old Party), the
Republican Party is symbolized by an
elephant.
The Republican Party
• Grew out of the “Anti-Federalists” who appeared
after 1787 – when the Constitution was written.
• Led by small farmers.
• Supported states’ rights, farmers, and workers.
• Changed to Democratic-Republicans in 1791.
• Changed to “Democrat” in 1828.
• The leading party before the Civil War.
The Democratic Party – Origin
• Founded in 1854.
• The party of the northern states that opposed
slavery.
• Abraham Lincoln was the Republican candidate
for president in 1860.
• The Civil War broke out shortly a few months after
he was elected.
The Republican Party – Origin
• Today’s Democrats try to position themselves as
caring for the common person.
• Consequently, they favor many government
programs to help – which costs lots of money.
• This money comes from higher taxes.
• The Democratic Party tries to bring together
people from many different social backgrounds.
• Most people consider this party to be Liberal.
The Democratic Party – Today
• The Republican Party is viewed as supporting
employers and businesses, and a strong military.
• Smaller government, less regulation, and lower
taxes are important themes for Republicans.
• The party believes in self-reliance rather than
reliance on the government.
• This party is more traditional concerning social
issues, and is considered Conservative.
The Republican Party – Today
Choosing the Candidates
Candidates for office are chosen by each party in a
Primary Election (or simply “Primary”), usually in
spring of the election year.
A Primary is a preliminary election to select
candidates for the various state and national offices.
The Election Process
Each state has its own rules for primaries.
Citizens must register to vote. People typically
register as Republican or Democrat, although they
can declare themselves “Independent”.
The Election Process
A primary can be closed, meaning citizens can vote
only for candidates belonging to the party for which
he / she has registered.
In open primaries, voters can choose candidates
from any party.
Most states have closed primaries. Open primaries
can create some interesting dynamics.
The Election Process
Running for political office takes a lot of time and
money.
Money is required for advertising, as well as hiring
workers to support the candidate’s effort.
Consequently, most candidates – especially for
national offices – tend to be “better off” financially.
The Election Process
For example, the median net worth of members of
the 112th Congress (2010-2011) was $913,000,
which is roughly 9 times greater than the median net
worth of all U.S. households.
The Election Process
Eligibility to vote in the U.S. is determined by both
federal and state law.
Only U.S. citizens are allowed to vote.
Most states do not allow convicted felons to vote.
Requirements for Voting
The voting age is 18 years old.
However, some states allow 17-year olds to vote in
primaries if they will turn 18 by the time of the
general election.
Voters must be registered to vote, usually a set
number of days before the election.
Requirements for Voting
Women in the USA did not have the right to vote
until 1920, when the 19th Amendment to the U.S.
Constitution was passed, guaranteeing the right.
The effort to gain the right to vote for women was
call the “Suffrage Movement”. The word “suffrage”
comes from a Middle English word meaning
“intercessory prayers”.
Women & Voting
The president and vice-president are elected on a
nationwide scale.
All other national leaders are appointed (other than
senators and representatives), usually by the
president. Some must be approved by the Senate.
The president serves a 4-year term. He may be
reelected to an additional 4-year term. (Limited by
the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution.)
Election of the President
Election Year for the president is always an even-numbered
year (e.g. 2004, 2008, 2012).
Although they are chosen during the primary season
(springtime), candidates don’t become officially nominated
until the parties’ conventions (August or September).
National election day is the Tuesday after the first Monday in
November. (It can fall between November 2 and 8.) It is not a
holiday in most states. Consequently, most people vote either
before going to work or after work.
Election Day
Technically, the President and Vice-President are
not elected directly by the voters.
Instead, they are elected by "electors” (the Electoral
College – not a school !) who are chosen by popular
vote on a state-by-state basis.
Electors are apportioned (divided and allocated) to
each state and the District of Columbia.
Electoral College
The number of electors in each state is equal to the
number of members of Congress to which the state
is entitled.
There are 538 electors, based on there being 435
representatives and 100 senators, plus the three
electors from the District of Columbia.
Electoral College
Electors are pledged to particular presidential and
vice presidential candidates, though unpledged
electors are possible (but rare).
In all states, except Maine and Nebraska, electors
are elected on a "winner-take-all" basis. That is, the
presidential candidate who wins the most votes in a
state earns all the electors of the state, and the loser
earns none.
Electoral College
The candidate who receives an absolute majority of
electoral votes (currently 270) for the offices of
President or Vice President is elected to that office.
Because of this system, it is possible for a candidate
to win the popular vote, but lose the electoral vote.
This has happened three times in U.S. history, most
recently in 2000 when George W. Bush lost the
popular vote to Al Gore, but won 271 electoral votes.
Electoral College
State governments are modeled after the federal
government in most ways – state constitution, three
branches, senators and representatives, etc.
The head of each state is called the governor.
The duties of governors vary in each state,
depending on the constitution for that state.
State Government
Cities are headed by a “mayor” and various other
city officials.
Multiple cities are joined together to form a “county”,
which also has various leaders.
County functions – law enforcement, maintenance of
public roads and parks, recording some types of
legal documents.
Local Government