Two-Party System Basics
Third Parties
Party Realignment & Voter Trends
Party Polarization
Modern Party Challenges
100
The two major political parties in the United States today
What are Democratic and Republican parties?
100
Political party that is not one of the two major parties
What is a third party?
100
When major groups of voters shift their support from one party to another
WHat is party realignment?
100
The growing ideological distance between Democrats and Republicans
What is political polarization?
100
The Role money plays in reinforcing the two-party system
WHat is major parties have easier access to donors and PAC funding?
200
The historical event led to the first party system in the U.S.?
What was the debate over the Constitution? (Federalists vs. Anti-Federalists)
200
One reason third parties struggle to win elections in the U.S.
What is a Winner-take-all system, lack of funding, and limited media coverage
200
An election that signals a major shift in party coalitions and begins a new party era
What’s a “critical election”?
200
A cause of Party Polarization
What is Gerrymandering, partisan media, ideological sorting, or social media bubbles?
200
Influence of social movements (like environmental or civil rights) on political parties
WHat is pushing parties to adopt new issues or positions?
300
The type of electoral system reinforces the two-party system in the U.S.?
What is the Winner-Takes-All System
300
One major way third parties influence U.S. politics, even if they don’t win
What is bringing attention to new issues or forcing major parties to adopt their ideas?
300
When voters move away from both parties and become independents
What is party dealignment?
300
Polarizations affect on Congress
What is Less compromise, more gridlock, more party-line voting?
300
Definition of “party platform”
WHat is a formal statement of a party’s beliefs and policy goals?
400
The term for when one party controls the presidency and the other controls Congress
What is Divided Government?
400
A Third-Party Candidate
Who is (any third-party candidate)?
400
A trend in recent decades shows dealignment
What is increasing voter registration as independents or split-ticket voting?
400
A consequence of polarization for voters
What is more negative partisanship, stronger party identity, less cross-party cooperation?
400
Independent or moderate voters impact on elections
WHat is swinging elections in key battleground states?
500
One of the main roles political parties play in U.S. democracy
What is recruiting candidates, organizing elections, connecting citizens to government, and shaping policy?
500
The trend Shown in the graph about THird-Parties 
Third-party votes spike occasionally but remain low overall showing that while third parties can impact specific elections, the two-party system remains dominant
500
Based on the Graph, what major change in party alignment has occurred among U.S. voters, and what does it suggest about dealignment?
The number of voters identifying as “Independent” has increased while party loyalty has declined, showing party dealignment and weaker attachment to major parties.
500
What does the trend shown in the graph indicate? 
Increasing ideological polarization, where members of each party have moved further apart ideologically, leading to less bipartisan cooperation.
500
What does the trend shown in the graph indicate about third parties? 
It reveals that third parties don't get as much funding as the 2 main parties, which makes it hard for them to succeed.