Unit 2
Political Behavior:
Gov.’t By the People
Ch 5 – Political Parties
Ch 6 – Voters and Voter Behavior
Ch 7 – The Electoral Process
Ch 8 – Mass Media and Public Opinion
Ch 9 – Interest Groups
Ch 5 – __________________
• What are
• Political parties in the US are a group of
political parties?
persons who seek to ___________ through
winning elections + holding ____________.
• In the US, they aren’t primarily principleor issue-oriented. They are _________oriented.
• They:
• are the way which ___________ + broad
policy choices are ____________ to the
people.
• are the ____ b/w the people + the gov.’t.
• bring ________ groups together + soften
the impact of ________ on both ends of
the political spectrum.
• Functions
of political
parties
Nominating
___________
Select +
___________
candidates
Informing +
Activating
___________
Functions
of Political
Parties
___________
___________
Help elect through
Ensures good
________________, ____________ of
educating (in favor its candidates +
of their own
officeholders (of
candidate + against good character
the opponent)
+ stick to party
fundraising,
___________
______________
– somewhat)
The ______
function
___________
___________
___________ is
organized +
appointments
are made based
on ________
Criticizes the
______________
(party of the
president/
governor) +
keeps them
___________,
sort of
End Section 1
• The 2-party •
system
•
2-party system – in an _________________, only 2
parties’ candidates have a reasonable chance of
winning office (in the US, Republicans + Democrats)
Why? – Nothing is said about political parties is the
__________________.
1. ____________________
- Federalists + Democratic-Republicans
2. ____________________
3. ____________________
- most elections are winner-takes-all + the
candidate w/ the most votes (not necessarily
a majority) wins
- people don’t want to “waste” their vote
- system is set up to _________ minor parties
4. The American ______________ consensus
- US has been free of long-standing, bitter
disputes over economic class, religious
beliefs, or national origin unlike many other
countries – no need for many parties
- Our political parties are very ___________ +
_____________
• The multiparty • The multiparty system is one in which several
system
major + many lesser parties exist, seriously
_______________, + win ____________
• Most _________ democracies have a multiparty
system
• Represents more __________ interests
• Often leads to ___________________
• Usually must form coalitions – a temporary
alliance of several groups who come together to
form a _________________ to control the gov.’t
• When the alliance breaks down, a new
coalition forms + a new gov.’t takes power
• 1-party system • 1-party system results when only one political
party is allowed to exist
• Most ________________ are 1-party systems
• Members of certain segments of the electorate
• Party
___________ tend to have similar voting patterns:
Typically Democrat: Typically Republican:
patterns
- ____________
- ____________
- ____________
- ____________
- ____________
- ____________
- ____________________
- _________________
- _________________
- Members of the
_____________________
- _________________
- ____________________
• Other influencing factors:
•
•
•
•
____________ level
Job/working conditions
Age (younger people are more likely to vote _________)
Residence (farms/suburbs-_________, cities-________,
South/Midwest-____________, North/West–_________)
• Marital status (married couples are more likely to vote
_____________)
• Other patterns:
• About 2/3 Americans follow the same party as their
____________
• 9/10 Americans share their __________'s political views
• Major events like the Civil War + _______________
End Section 2
• ______________ of
the 2-party system
Hamilton v. Jefferson:
Their different views would lead to the
creation of a 2 party political system
Federalists
• Alexander Hamilton
• Strong ____________
• Power in the hands of
the ______ + ________
• Economy based on
______________,
shipping, + __________
• _____ interpretation of
Constitution
Democratic – Republicans
• Thomas Jefferson
• Strong _______________
• Power in the hands of the
_________ – safer
• Economy based on
_____________
• _______ interpretation of
Constitution
• The political
spectrum
_________
_________
Favors extreme
change to create
an entirely new
social system
Believes that gov.’t
must take action to
change economic,
political, + ideological
policies that may be unfair
Left
_____________ Gov.’t
___________
Center
___________
___________
Seeks to keep
in place the
economic, political,
+ ideological,
structures of society
Favors extreme
change to restore
society to an
earlier state
Right
__________ Gov.’t
• http://typology.people-press.org/typology/
End Section 3
• The minor
parties
Ex.
T. Roosevelt’s
“Bull Moose”
Progressive
Party
• A minor party is one of the many political parties w/o
_____________________.
• Some are limited to a particular locale, _______, or
region while some try to spread across the _______
• Most have been _______________
Ex.
• 4 types:
Socialist
Ideological –
Splinter –
parties that split
away from one of
the ______ parties (most
form around a strong
______________ then
disappear when the
_________ steps
aside)
Ex. The
Populist
Party
based on a particular
set of ___________
(social, economic,
+ political)
Types of
Minor Parties
Economic Protest –
appear during times of
economic _____ then disappear
when the economic
situation _________
Libertarian
Single Issue –
focus on 1
single issue
Ex. Free Soil Party
(opposed slavery)
Right to Life Party
(oppose abortion)
• Why minor
•
parties are
•
__________
Can act as a “________” in elections
Critic + innovator – draw attention to
_________ the major parties tried to
_________
- Ex. _________________ ,
progressive income
tax, oldage pensions
- When their proposal gains
wide-spread support,
one or
both of the
____________,
take
it + make it their own +
the party loses its
_______________.
• Party
• Both parties are _______________ +
__________
fragmented w/ internal __________,
although different offices of the same
party often (but not always) ________
w/ one another.
• There is no __________________
running from the national to the local
level.
• The __________ serves as his party’s
leader.
• The __________ has no leader.
• Party _________
• The national convention is the
meeting that occurs every summer
in a ___________________ year to
nominate the party’s president + v.p
candidate. It also writes the party’s
__________.
• In theory, the parties’ affairs are
handled at meetings by the national
committee + __________________
b/w conventions. In reality, they
have little _________.
• Promotes party ________,
raises $, recruits voters, +
prepares for __________
• The congressional campaign
committee works to elect members
of their party into _____________.
• The _____ of • The major parties have been
major parties
___________ since the 1960s.
Factors in the
decline of
the major
political parties
Drop in the #
of voters
who _________
themselves
as Republican
or Democrat
Increase in
split-ticket
Greater
voting (voting
internal
for different
__________ +
________ for
disorganization
different
_______ in the
same ________)
Changes in
____________,
especially
____________,
The growth
which makes of ___________
it easier for
organizations
candidates
to “________”
directly to the
electorate
End Section 5
Ch 6 – Voters and Voter _________
• The ______ of • The framers of the Constitution
voting rights
deliberately left ______ the power to
set up suffrage _______________.
Suffrage + franchise both mean the
right to vote.
• When the Constitution went into
effect in 1789, the electorate
(potential voting population) was
limited to white, male __________
___________.
• ________ suffrage:
The 5 stages
White,
Male
property
owners
(1800s) Elimination
of religious, property, +
tax payment qualifications
By mid 1800s, almost all
white men could vote
(1870) The 15th Amendment
gave _______ the right to vote
(many still denied the right)
(1920) The 19th Amendment
gave _________ the right to vote
(1960s) Federal legislation secured black voting rights
The 23rd Amendment added D.C. voters to the presidential electorate
The 24th Amendment eliminated the ________________
(1971) The 26th Amendment gave __________
______ the right to vote (states could set a lower age)
End Section 1
• Voter
•
qualifications
All states have the following
_______________ for voters:
1. ________________
2. ___________ – must live in the state you’re
voting in. Some states require you to live
there up to 30 days before the election to
vote there
3. _______ –18 or lower
•
Other qualifications:
•
•
•
•
____________ – all states except N. Dakota
require voters to register to prevent voter
fraud
_______ tests – used mostly to discriminate
– BANNED
________ – used to discriminate – BANNED
People banned from voting:
•
Mentally incompetent, those ___________ of
serious crimes, + in some states, people
dishonorably discharged from the ________
End Section 2
• Tactics used to • Violence, threats, ____________
prevent ______ • Legally
from voting after
• “White primaries” – outlawed
th
the 15
by the Supreme Court (1944)
Amendment
• Gerrymandering (drawing
electoral district lines in order
to ____ the voting strength of
a particular group or party) –
outlawed by the Supreme
Court in 1960
• _________ – banned by the
24th Amendment (1964)
• ____________ – banned by
the Civil Rights Act of 1964
End Section 3
• Non-voters
• In 2004, only about ____% of eligible
people voted.
• Voter turnout is even _______ in
off-year elections (evennumbered years b/w _________
elections ex. 2006, 2010)
• The more ____ the election, the fewer
people tend to ________
• Ex. More people vote for
president than governor, more
people vote for governor than
mayor, etc…
• Why people don’t vote:
Nonvoters
_______ Vote
Too ill/
In a _______
physically
health
__________
facility
In prison/
committed a
_______ crime
Discrimination/
other
pressures
Didn’t
__________
Do Not Vote (___________)
Those who believe no
matter who wins the
election, things will
_______________________
for them + for the country
Those who lack any
Those who fear or
feeling of influence
scorn the system +
or effectiveness –
believe elections are
They don’t believe
_______________ +/or
choiceless
they have any ________
Do Not Vote (____________)
Bad _______ Long voting lines “___________ fallout” Lack of _______ (ignorant)
• Characteristics of
_________ voters
• Higher levels of income, __________, +
_______________ status
• Well integrated into _______________
• Tend to be ________ residents who are
active/comfortable w/ their surroundings
• Strong sense of party ______________
• Characteristics of
______________
•
•
•
•
• Other trends in
voting
• Women are ____ likely to vote than men
• The more __________ the election, the
more likely people are to vote
Under ______
____________
____________
Live in the _______ +/or _______ areas
• Party
• A majority of Americans identify themselves
____________
w/ one of the _______ parties + many never
_________ their party affiliation
• Party identification is the single most
significant + _________ predictor of how a
person will vote. A person who is Democrat
will very likely vote for all or most of that
party’s candidates in any given election.
Same w/ Republicans.
• Strait-ticket voting is the practice of
voting for candidates of ___________
in an election
• Although still a major factor, party
identification has lost __________________
recently
• Split-ticket voting is the practice of
voting for the candidates of ________
one party in an election
• Independents
• Independents are people who have no
party _________ (major or minor), but
many actually support one of the
major parties quite ___________.
• It’s estimated that _______% of voters
are independents.
• Until recently, typical independents
were less ________, well _________,
+/or politically active than Republicans
or Democrats.
• “New” independents began appearing
in the 1960s. They are often young w/
_____________ education, income, +
job status.
End Section 4
Ch 7 – The ____________ Process
• The
•
__________
process
•
Nomination is the naming of those
who will seek ___________
There are 5 ways which
nominations are made in the US:
1. ____________
2. ________________
3. __________
4. __________
5. ____________
• Petition
• Requires signatures of _________________
• Used mostly at the ________________
• Selfannouncement
• The ________ form of the nominating process in
the US.
• A person simply announces that they will be
running for office (or due to modesty or _______
__________, may have someone make the
announcement for them).
• Sometimes used by someone who _____ to win
a regular party nomination or is unhappy w/ the
party’s _________.
• Caucus
• A group of _________________ who meet
privately to select the candidates they will
support in an upcoming election.
• Used to be done in ______________ by party –
led to protests.
• Today used to make some local nominations
(especially in New England) – but now open to
_____________________.
• Convention
• Replaced the use of widespread
___________.
• By 1832, all ____________ presidential
candidates have been chosen by
conventions.
• It began at the ____ level, by nominating
local officials + choosing delegates to
the _________ elections. At the county
level, they nominate county officials +
choose delegates to the ____ elections.
At the state level, they nominate state
officials + chose delegates to the
_______ level. At the national level they
nominate their party’s candidate for
president + _________________.
• The system became ______ at the local
level – which spread up to the national
level. This led to _________________
replacing conventions in most states,
but conventions are still used at the
national level.
• Direct primary
• Direct primaries are ___________ elections
(they occur w/in the party).
• ______ states rely solely on this method for
choosing candidates w/in the major parties
for all major _______ + many _____ as well.
• Most of these states regulate the
primaries (not the _______________
themselves).
• 2 types:
• In closed primaries only declared party
members __________. Voters must
register as being either Republican or
Democrat. ______ states use this.
• In open primaries any _____________
can cast a ballot for either party, but
not _______. 23 states use this.
• Arguments for + against each type on
p. 184
• The ________ • Lack of voter ____________ – frustrated
w/ primaries
that they can’t vote in multiple parties, long
ballots, + in closed primary states
_____________ that they have to declare
which party they will vote for.
• Low voter ______ (usually less than __ of
the general election turnout)
• ______ – many well-qualified people don’t
run for office
• _________ parties – Republicans +
Democrats ________________________
while campaigning in primaries +
sometimes don’t recover in time for the
general election
• Voter __________ – usually pick the most
familiar sounding __________
End Section 1
• The
• Democratic gov.’ts cannot succeed
administration unless elections are ______, _______, +
of _________ _________.
• In the US, _____________ elections are
held on the first _________ following the
first _________ in November on ______numbered yrs.
• ________________ are every 4 yrs
on the same day.
• Most elections for ___________ are
on the same day + ___________
often are as well.
• Some states have the
elections on ____________
instead + local elections can
vary widely.
• If anyone is ill, disabled, or traveling they
can vote by ____________ ballot.
• Some states allow voters to cast their
ballots up to several days prior to the
election.
• But they can’t _____________ until
election day
• Precincts are voting districts. They are
the ________________________ for the
conduct of elections
End Section 2
• Campaign ________ • What do political candidates
spend $ on while campaigning?
• Newspaper/radio/tv ads +
_________________
• Professional campaign
___________ + consultants
• Pamphlets/posters/buttons/
________________
• Office ______
• ________/data processing
• ________
• ______ make up the largest % of
campaign spending
• Campaign
__________
• Where do candidates get their $ from?
1. _________________
A. Small contributors
B. Wealthy individuals
C. The ____________
D. Nonparty groups – especially PACs
(Political Action Committees), the
political arm of special-interest +
other organizations
E. ____________________ formed to
help campaign + raise $
2. _____________ - $ from the gov.’t
• Why do people/organizations donate $?
• They ______________ a party/candidate
• They want __________ to the gov.’t
• They want appointments to ___________
• They want _____________________
• They have __________ aims
• __________ • The national gov.’t has ___________ regulating
campaign
donations for candidates running for federal
donations
office, but doesn’t have the _______ to regulate
campaign donations at the state + local level
• Every state has some ____________________
regulations
• The Federal Election Commission (FEC)
administers all federal law dealing w/ campaign
finance. Federal campaign finance laws aren’t
very well enforced b/c the FEC is ___________
+ _______________.
• Laws under the FEC’s control:
1. The timely _________ of campaign
finance data
2. Limits on campaign ____________
3. Limits on campaign ___________
4. Providing public funding for parts of
the presidential election process
• PACs
• Political Action Committees, the political arm of
special-interest + other organizations.
• There are over ____ PACs registered w/ the
FEC, including the PACs for the American
Medical Association, the National Education
Association, the American Trial Lawyers, etc
• PACs receive ____________ from people +
corporations, then ________ them into large
donations to candidates sympathetic to the
PACs ________________
• PACs cannot give more than ________ to a
federal candidate for a primary election +
another ______ for the general election, but
can give to as many candidates as they wish
• PACs can give _________ a year to political
parties
• Hard money v. • Part of the difficulty ________ campaign
soft money
funding is b/c of soft $
• Hard $ is $ raised + spent to elect
congressional + presidential
candidates
• Soft $ is $ given to a ________
_____________ for “party-building
activities” like candidate
recruitment, voter registration, etc
• It is then _________ into
presidential + congressional
campaigns
• Federal laws didn’t place _________ on
soft $ until recently, but there are still
many _____________.
End Section 3
Ch 8 – __________ and Public Opinion
• Public opinion • Public opinion are __________ held by a
significant # of people on matters of gov.’t +
politics
_________*
________
Events
________
Leaders
People tend to
associate w/ people
who share their political
values
What
shapes public
opinion?
_______
Groups
Basic beliefs
that shape political
opinions
_________*
Political
indoctrination
_____
_______
End Section 1
• Determining
public opinion
• Why do we need to _______ public opinion?
• So that _____________ can reflect
PUBLIC OPINION
• Or so politicians can get ______ 
How is public
opinion
determined?
Interest
Groups
________
(private
organizations
whose members
share certain views
+ work to shape the
making + content of
public policy)
________
_______
________
(could just be a
vocal minority)
(meetings, letters,
emails, calls, etc)
______
(The best
measure IF
done accurately)
• Poll validity
• In order for a poll to be valid, the _______, not
just the _________, of people interviewed is
important.
• The people interviewed must represent
all __________________
• Ex. If taking a presidential poll,
people of all ________, religious,
geographic, _______, economic, +
educational backgrounds must be
interviewed – also _______ + age.
• Also of concern is the way the questions are
___________.
• They must avoid words that are
_________________, difficult to
understand, or ____________.
End Section 2
• Mass media
• Mass media means of
_______________ to a large # of
people.
• Ex. tv, ___________, radio,
internet, magazines, books,
+ _________
• It influences politics most visibly
in 2 areas:
1. The _____________
2. __________ Politics
• The influence • The public agenda - the societal _________ that
of _________
the nation’s political leaders + the general public
agree need __________________.
• The _______ draws attention to various
topics, they may _____________ some
problems while ______________ others.
• Determines what people talk about +
forces politicians to _____________.
• Electoral politics – have led to the ______ of the
major parties. W/ mass media, candidates can
appeal directly to the _________ + aren’t as
dependent on the party machinery for their
nominations ______________.
• Candidates + politicians regularly try to
_____________ media coverage to their
advantage. They know good news stories
take no more than _______ + show them
doing something interesting or exciting.
• The limits of • Few people follow international, national,
mass media’s
or local political events very ________.
__________ • When people do pay some attention to
politics, they often watch, listen, +/or
read sources that generally _________
their own views + ignore the _________.
• Few news shows air during __________.
• Content is highly _______ + usually only
_____________ in length.
End Section 3
Ch 9 – Interest Groups
• Interest groups • An interest group (a.k.a. ________ groups
or advocacy groups) is a private
organization that tries to _________ public
officials to respond to the _____________
of its members.
• They wish to influence the making +
content of ______________.
• They do that by lobbying (putting
pressure on politicians).
• Protected by the ____________. The 1st
Amendment guarantees the rights to
peacefully assemble + to petition the gov.’t
• Function at all _____ of gov.’t (local –
national).
• Differences b/w •
interest groups +
political parties
Both interest groups + political parties are groups
made up of people who unite for some _________
______. However, they have 3 major differences:
1. The making of _______________
- Interest groups may _________ a
candidate, but they do NOT
nominate one.
2. Their ________________
- Interest groups want to control or
influence gov.’t ________ while political
parties want to ____________ + control
the gov.’t itself
*So interest groups don’t
have to worry about appealing
to the ____________________
3. The scope of their _____________
- Interest groups are not concerned w/
the whole range of ________________
- Also, interest groups are private organizations
• Functions of
interest groups
____________
_______ in public affairs
(issues + events that
concern people at
large)
Compete w/ one
another to help keep
policies _________
Unite members
based on ________
___________ instead
of geography
___________
______________ of
Interest Groups
Provide useful,
specialized, + detailed
____________ to the
gov.’t
Keep a close
watch on officials +
________________
Encourage + assist
in political ___________
________ W/ Interest Groups
Some have too much ____________ – their influence often
depends more on their organization + ________ than their size,
importance, or contribution to public good
It’s often difficult to tell just how many _________ a group
represents – their titles often suggest that they _____________
more people than they really do
Many groups are dominated by an active __________ who
make the group’s __________________ – their views may not
reflect the views of all of the people they claim to represent
Some groups use illegal +/or __________ tactics – such as
bribery, threats of revenge, assembling misleading _____, etc…
End Section 1
• Types of
interest groups:
1. Economic
Interest Groups
• Groups based on how people ___________________.
• This is the most ____________ type of interest group.
• The most active + __________ are those representing
business, labor, agriculture, + certain _____________
groups.
• The United States Brewers’ Association is the ______
organized group at work in national politics today –
born in 1862.
• Trade associations are segments of the ___________
community that have formed their own interest groups.
(Ex. bankers, restaurateurs, etc)
• Labor unions are organizations of workers who share
the same type of job or work in the same __________.
(Ex. machinists, police, gov.’t employees, + etc)
• Over ____ of Americans belong to labor unions
• ___________ groups have enormous influence on the
gov.’t but farmers make up less than __ of Americans.
• Professional groups aren’t usually as well organized or
financed as business, labor, + farm groups
• 3 major exceptions National ____________
Association, the American Bar Association, +
the American ___________ Association.
• 2. Interest Groups • Causes:
that ___________
• The _________________________ (ACLU)
Causes, the Welfare
fights in + out of court to protect civil +
of Certain Groups,
political rights. It works for major reforms in
+/or ____________
the political process.
Organizations
• The _______________________ work to
stimulate participation in + greater
knowledge about public affairs.
• Other ex: the National Wildlife Federation,
Friends of the Earth, the ______________
Association.
• Some organizations fight for __________
causes like the National Right-to-Life
Committee and Planned Parenthood.
• The Welfare of Certain Groups:
• Ex: Veterans of Foreign Wars, _________,
__________, etc
• Religious Organizations:
• Ex: The _________________, The American
Jewish Congress, etc
• 3. Public• Groups that seek to institute certain public
Interest Groups
policies of ________ to all or most people in
this country, whether or not they belong to or
support that ______________.
• Ex. Environmental Groups
______________ Groups
• Fortune Magazine
"Power 20 Survey
for 2001"
The Top 20
Interest Groups
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
____________________________
American Association of Retired People (AARP)
National Federation of Independent Business
American _________ Foreign Affairs Committee
Association of Trial Lawyers of America
AFL-CIO
Chamber of Commerce of the United States of
America
8. National Beer Wholesalers of America
9. National Association of Realtors
10. National Association of Manufacturers
11. National Association of Homebuilders of the United
States
12. American Medical Association
13. American Hospital Association
14. National Education Association of the United States
15. American Farm Bureau Federation
16. Motion Picture Association of America
17. National Association of Broadcasters
18. National Right to Life Committee
19. Health Insurance Association of America
20. National Restaurant Association
End Section 2
• Interest groups •
influence over
the public
•
•
•
•
Interest groups seek to influence public opinion for 3
reasons:
1. To supply the public w/ __________ it thinks the
people should have
2. To build a ________________ for their group.
3. To promote a particular _______________.
Interest groups try to influence public attitudes by
using propaganda (___________ information used to
further a cause or damage an opponent’s cause).
Propaganda begins w/ a __________ + then brings in
_________ to support that conclusion + disregards all
other information.
Propaganda rarely attacks the _________ of a policy it
opposes, instead preferring _______________ or by
presenting only one side of an issue.
Propaganda will support policies w/ labels by using
very general terms + symbols, often patriotic ones. It
may also use testimonials, the bandwagon approach,
or the plain-folks approach.
• How interest
• Some groups keep close ties w/ one or the other major
groups seek to
political party + some try to get the support of _______.
influence parties,
• They may raise $ for a candidate’s __________.
elections, +
• They may come up w/ campaign ads supporting
politicians
a candidate of one party +/or attacking another.
• Some urge their members to become ________ in party
affairs.
• They all _________________ to influence public policy.
• Many lobbyists are former ______________, lawyers,
former journalists, etc
• They lobby in different ways, such as:
• Providing politicians w/ __________ favorable to
their cause.
• Testifying in legislative committees as “______”.
• Stir up “grass-roots” campaigns (grass-roots
means, “of or from the people”).
• Rating members of Congress based on their
________________.
• Lobbyists may make campaign contributions, provide
information, write speeches, + even draft ___________.
• Lobbyists may also seek to influence the __________ +
judiciary branches as well.
End Section 3