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