The Organization of Political Parties

1
The Organization of Political Parties
2
Reality of Political Parties

• Two major parties are highly decentralized
  (internal fighting)
• No real chain of command
• States parties loosely tied to national
• Local parties independent of states

3
The Role of the President

• The Presidents party is usually more solidly
  united than the opposing
• The President is the party leader
• The other party has no comparable leader

4
National Party MachineryFour Elements

• 1. National Convention
• Meet to nominate the presidential and vice
  presidential candidate every 4 years
• 2. National Committee
• Handles the partys affairs between conventions

5
National Party MachineryFour Elements

• 3. National Chairperson
• Heads up the national committee
• 4. Congressional Campaign Committees
• Job to increase partys congressional seats

6
State and Local Party Machinery

• State job is to further the partys interests
  in that state
• Local follow the States electoral map, most
  active a few months before an election
• Small unit of state party

7
Three Elements of the Party

• Party Organization
• leaders, activists, and hangers-on who control
  party machinery
• Party in the electorate
• loyalists who vote their candidates
• Party in government
• officeholders at all levels of government

8
The Future of the Majority Parties

• Political Parties have been in a state of decline
  since the late 1960s
• Parties are unlikely to disappear as long as they
  continue to perform necessary functions

9
Reasons for Decline

• Larger number of voters registering as
  independent
• SPLIT-TICKET VOTING voting for candidates of
  both parties for offices at the same election.

10
Reasons (cont)

• Greater internal conflict
• Changes in technology of campaigning.
• Growth of single-issue organizations who side
  with a candidate on a specific issue.