8.1 & 8.2
The growing gap between the stands of the parties on policy issues.
What is Party Polarization?
A job, promotion, or contract that is given for political reasons rather than for merit or competence alone.
What is Patronage?
Historical periods in which a majority of voters cling to the party in power, which tends to win a majority of the elections.
What are Party Eras?
Electoral contenders other than the two major parties.
What are Third Parties?
The meeting of party delegates every four years to choose a presidential ticket and write the party’s platform.
What is National Convention?
In the words of the economist Anthony Downs, a “team of men and women seeking to control the governing apparatus by gaining office in duly constituted election.”
What is a Political Party?
Elections to select party nominees in which only people who have registered in advance with the party can vote for that party’s candidates, thus encouraging greater party loyalty and elections to select party nominees in which voters can decide on Election Day whether they want to participate in the Democratic or Republican contests.
What are Open and Closed Primaries?
The displacement of the majority party by the minority party, usually during a critical election period.
What is Party Realignment?
When two or more parties join together to form a majority in a national legislature.
What is Coalition Government?
One of the institutions that keeps the party operating between conventions.
What is a National Committee?
The voter’s perception of what the Republicans or Democrats stand for, such as conservatism or liberalism.
What is Party Image?
Voting with one party for one office and with another party for other offices.
What is Ticket Splitting?
The gradual disengagement of people from the parties, as seen in part by shrinking party identifications.
What is Party Dealignment?
An electoral system in which legislative seats are awarded only to the candidates who come in first in their constituencies.
What is a Winner-Take-All System?
A national committee is made up of these people.
Who are representatives from the states/territories?
A citizen’s self-proclaimed preferences for one party or the other.
What is Party Identification?
A group of individuals with a common interest on which every political party depends.
What is a coalition?
An electoral “earthquake” where new issues emerge, new coalitions replace old ones, and the majority party is often displaced by the minority party.
What is a Critical Election?
An electoral system used throughout most of Europe that awards legislative seats to political parties in proportion to the number of votes won in an election.
What is Proportional Representation?
The person responsible for running the ongoing activities of the national party organization.
Theory to explain the actions of voters as well as politicians. Assumes that people act in their own best interest, carefully weighing the costs and benefits of possible alternatives.
What is Rational Choice Theory?
A type of political party organization that relies heavily on material inducements, such as patronage, to win votes and to govern.
What is Party Machine?
A coalition forged by the Democrats, who dominated American politics from the 1930s to the 1960s.
What is the New Deal Coalition?
A view about how parties should work, held by some political scientists. Parties should offer clear choices to the voters and once in office, should carry out their campaign promises.
What is the Responsible Party Model?
Party Organization is broken into these three levels.
What is local, state, and national?