Political Parties

1
Political Parties

• ? Groups of like-minded people who band together
  in an attempt to take control of government

? Serve to aggregate preferences
2
Duvergers Law

• A single-member district, first past the post
• electoral system will produce two and two only
• parties capable of winning elections

3
Critical (aka Realigning) Election

• An election that marks the emergence of a new,
• lasting alignment of partisan support within the
• electorate

4
Critical Elections?

• 1828 (Jacksonian Democracy)
• 1860 (Republican Party/Reconstruction)
• 1896 (Republican Dominance)
• 1932 (New Deal)

5
Partisan Change
6
Party Identification(aka Party ID)

• Psychological attachment to a political party.
  Sometimes referred to as a voters standing
  decision