Party Basics
Political parties do this to try to run the government
Win elections / get candidates elected
Parties hold these events like rallies to get people excited and to go vote.
Campaign events
In this U.S. general voting, whoever gets the most votes wins
The plurality system
These were the very first two political parties in the United States.
The Federalists and the Democratic-Republicans
This word means being very loyal to one political party all the time.
Partisanship
By offering different ideas and plans, parties let voters do this before picking a leader.
Make informed decisions
This law explains why countries with plurality voting usually end up with just two big parties.
Duverger's Law
Party positions have changed a lot over time on these two big topics.
Social welfare and civil rights
Name one of the two major political parties in the United States.
The Democratic Party OR the Republican Party
Besides winning elections, parties also help run and organize this branch of government.
legislature
The 'winner take-all' part of U.S. elections makes it very hard for smaller parties to win.
The plurality
Both major parties have changed their positions on civil rights and this topic.
Social welfare
This is the set of beliefs and values that a political party stands for.
An ideology
Parties bring groups of members together in this way to help pass new laws.
Build coalitions
These smaller parties exist in the U.S. but almost never win major elections.
Third parties
Political parties change over time because of shifts in these two things.
Society and political conditions
Political parties are called a key part of this type of government where people vote
Democracy
Parties make sure that this wide variety of people's opinions gets represented in democracy.
A diverse range of voices
The two-party system has lasted more than this many years.
100 years
Understanding changes in who belongs to a party means studying these shifts.
Demographic shifts