Direct Primary
* the selection of a political party's candidate for the general election by vote of ordinary citizens
* candidates did not need the blessing of the party to run and win
* candidates stopped aligning themselves with machines
* elections became more candid
Divided Government
When one party controls the presidency and another controls Congress
Duverger's Law
The tendency for the single-member-district-plurality system to favor a two-party system, as documented by French sociologist Maurice _______
Multiparty Systems
A political system in which three or more political parties effectively compete for political office, and no one party can win control of all
One-Party System
A political system in which representatives of one political party hold all or almost of the major offices in government
Parliamentary System
An electoral system in which the party holding the majority of seats in the legislature selects the chief executive
Party Discipline
Requiring political party members in public office to promote or carry out the party's agenda and punishing those who do not
Party in Government
The component of a political party that is made up of elected and appointed government officeholders who belong to a political party
Party in the Electorate
The component of a political party that is made up of the people in the public who identify with a political party
Party Organization
The component of a political party that is composed of the party professionals who hold official positions in the party
Party Professionals
Party activists whose incentives for participating in party activities are primarily material and social in nature
Party Vote
A vote in which a majority of Democrats vote on one side and a majority of Republicans vote on the other
Policy-Motivated Activists
Party activists whose incentives for participating in party activities are primarily purposive and social
Political Machine
A political organization characterized by a reciprocal relationship between voters and officeholders. Political support is given in exchange for government jobs and services. Headed by a "party boss," political machines and party bosses maintain their pow
Political Party
An organization that nominates and runs candidates for public office under its own label
Political Patronage
The giving of government jobs to people based on their party affiliation and loyalty
Presidential System
A political system in which the chief executive and the legislature are elected independently
Proportional Representation
A method of selecting representatives in which representation is given to political parties based on the proportion of the vote obtained. This method has the effect of encouraging multiple parties
Responsible Party Model
A concept that describes democracies with competitive parties in which one party wins control of the government based on its policy proposals, enacts those proposals once it is in control, and stands or falls in the next election based on its performance
Role Theory
A behavioral model of politics based on the assumption that human beings have a psychological need for predictability in their relations with each other
Single-Member-District-Plurality (SMDP) Model
A method of selecting representatives in which one person will win the single position based on obtaining a plurality of the vote
Straight-Ticket Voting
Voting for the same party's candidates for president and Congress
Third Parties
Minor political parties that periodically appear but have little success in winning office
Two-Party System
A political system in which only two political parties have a realistic chance of controlling the major offices of government
What is Duverger's Law held together by?
Strategic voting by citizens and strategic merging by parties
Strategic Merging
The defeated viable political party and the defeated third party will come together to defeat the victorious political party
Strategic Voting
Instead of "throwing away" their vote, voters will cast their ballot for the second preferred candidate, to prevent their least preferred choice from winning
Why do third parties emerge?
* Raise the salience of an issue in the hopes it will be addressed by the major parties
* Provides third party candidates leverage over the major parties
* Third party candidates may seek to make history, gain fame and recognition for future contests
Even though third parties have no realistic chance of winning...
* Sometimes get elected to high offices
* Have affected the outcome of elections (2000)
* Alter the strategies of the major parties - what issues to emphasize
Who were the first organizers of political parties?
* Hamilton & Washington -- The Federalists
* Madison & Jefferson -- The Democratic-Republicans
What did the first political parties originate from?
The disagreement about the power of the central government
Who did party machines control?
Voters, candidates, and politicians in office; self-replicating process
How did party machines control voters?
The party machine asked to be rewarded on election day with voters for his party
How did party machines control candidates?
If a candidate wanted to win, they would have to align themselves with a machine
How did party machines control politicians in office?
Once elected, if the politician wanted to keep his job, he'd have to distribute jobs and contracts back to his machine
When did the party machine change? Due to what?
Late 19th Century to early 20th Century; progressives reviewed machines as corrupted and anti-democratic
What three progressive era reforms impacted the change of the party machines?
The Australian Ballot, the Pendleton Act and the Direct Primary
Australian Ballot
* government would print election ballots & voters could vote in secret
* meant that party machines no longer controlled large blocks of voters
* prompted candidates to cultivate a personal constituency
Pendleton Act
* instituted a civil service reform -- Merit system
* meant citizens didn't have to be loyal to the machine to be awarded a government job
* party loyalty eroded
* voter turnout dropped
20th Century Elections & Voting
* innovations in mass communication helped to personalize politics & diminished the importance of parties
* more partisan defections -- weaker party loyalty & rise of independents (esp. 1960-1980)
* parties have made a resurgence since 1980s
When compared to the parliamentary system...
Parties will always be weaker in the U.S. because they cannot regulate who runs a Democrat or Republican
Strategy of Convergence
Parties converge on the ideological median
* parties will moderate themselves
* parties will represent median voter