MINOR PARTIES
Types of Minor Parties
1. Protest Party (Economic Protest Party)Ex: Greenback Party & Populist Party
2. Single Issue Party- focus on 1 issueEx: Free Soil Party, Know Nothings
3. Ideological Party- based on beliefEx: Socialists, Communist, Green Party
4. Splinter Parties- split off of a partyEx: Bull Moose and American Independent Party
Why Minor Parties?
1. Play a Spoiler Role in electionsSplit the Vote Bull Moose Party 1912 & Perot in 1992
2. Articulate new ideas that the major parties will at some point will take on.○ Perot push for a balance budget in 92○ Pushed major parties to a budget agreement○ Railroad & Banking Regulations, Women
Suffrage, and Old Age Pension
PARTY ORGANIZATION
The Major Parties
Decentralized Fragmented Filled with internal squabbling Neither party has a chain of command
from national to state State’s parties are tied loosely tied to the
national parties More than half a million of elected
officials
Role of the President Automatic leader of
the political party Access to media,
popularity and makes appointments of federal offices
No one person leads the other party
Multiple people are seen in the other party
Nominating Process
Leads to a decentralization 1. Candidate selection is an intraparty
processNomination made within the party
2. Nominating process is a divisiveFight in the party over the nomination
Elements of the Nat. Party
1. National Convention
2. National Committee
3. National Chairperson
4. Congressional Campaign Committees
National Convention Party’s national
voice Meets in the
summer of presidential election
Pick President & Vice President Candidates
Adopt party rules and party platform
National Committee Party’s affairs are
done by the committee and the chair
Committee may seem to have a lot of power
Stage the convention every 4 years
National Chairperson
Leader of the National Committee Chosen for a 4 year term Direct the work of the party’s
headquarters and its staff Election Years: focus on the convention
and the campaign Between elections: raise money,
promote party unity and recruit new voters
State Organizations
State Central Committee headed by a State chairperson
Chairperson tied to the governor, senator or another political leader
Build party unity, raise money, find candidates, and building organizations
Local Organization Party Units for each
district in which elective offices are to be filled
Counties, Cities, towns, wards, and precincts
Larger cities residential blocks
Party’s active year round
Party’s have 3 Components
Interrelated Components
1. The Party Organization (party leaders and activists)
2. The Party in the Electorate (people who vote for the party)
3. The Party in Government (currently in office)
Major Party’s Future
Party’s have been in decline since 60’s 5 Reasons for their problems
1. Drop in number of voters
2. Increase in split-ticket voting
3. Internal conflict through reform/changes
4. Technology changes for campaigning
5. Growth of single issue organizations