PSC 344 Chapter Notes - Chapter 6: Plurality Voting System
5 Nov 2017
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Document Summary
Political parties: groups of people with the shared goal of electing public officials under a. Parties have policy goals, but are most united by their electoral goals. Often unclear who the head of the party is (usually either president or rnc/dnc chairperson, but can be others) Party-in-the-electorate: all citizens who identify with the party, forms volunteer base during campaigns. Party-as-organization: institutions that administer party affairs, recruit and raise money for candidates (especially for those in close races), used to decide on candidates but reforms have shifted focus to primaries/caucuses. Party-in-government: elected and appointed officials, candidates are tied to their party in government so approval ratings will affect elections (even in state races) The founders feared parties, but coalesced into them because they served their interests. Problems come from our electoral system: single-member districts and plurality. Major parties often adapt to third party threats and take away their niches and voting bases of support.
