It’s pretty self-explanatory: Every candidate will need votes to win an election. Of course, it’s not as easy as it sounds when there are so many different types of voters that make their own judgments. In many Countries, party identification, along with many other factors, plays an important role in winning elections; the United States is no different from that. When electing candidates however, some countries rely almost solely on party affiliation, while the United States allows more flexibility. In the United States, party identification does not have the most influence over a person’s vote because of how weak it is in the U.S. voting system and other contributing factors that single out the candidate from their party, such as the candidate’s personality, promises/decisions, and their ability to handle current nationwide issues.
First of all, Party Identification shouldn’t be too strong in the US, because the US two-party system allows “swing voters”. A swing voter is, according to TheFreeDictionary.com, “a voter who has no allegiance to any political party and whose unpredictable decisions can swing the outcome of an election one way or the other”, in other words, the voters with no commitment to a specific party or candidate. Although candidates can rely on “base voters”, or committed voters, for their decisions, most people in the US Electoral College are swing voters. “Swing voters” infer that a majority vote can go either way, and makes the outcome more difficult to predict. Swing voters and base voters come from a variety of sources. Some of the major categories that contrast swing voters from base voters include income, ethnicity, ideology, geography, education, age, gender, and religion. Because of this, Party I...
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...ionwide issues. Unlike other countries that vote based on party association, the United States lets people vote independently; they can vote from any party or no party at all. This “independence” results in an enormous general “third party” in which can lead to unpredictable results in an election.
Works Cited
"Swing Voter." The Free Dictionary. Farlex, n.d. Web. 26 Nov. 2013. .
Tannahill, Neal R. Think: American Government. New York: Pearson/Longman, 2012. Print.
Timberg, Robert. "The Punk." Www.nytimes.com. Touchstone, 1999. Web. 25 Nov. 2013. .
Zephyr, David. "Daily Kos." : John McCain: Hero? No Just an Aristocratic Bully. N.p., 2 Dec. 2010. Web. 26 Nov. 2013. .
The United States is a privileged country with freedoms and opportunities many countries strive to achieve. People come into the United States in hopes to obtain these rights and make a better life for themselves; they strive to achieve “The American Dream.” Citizens are given the chance to vote, speak their mind, and live according to their desires without prejudice. However, the same government that promises hope has flaws that frustrate the American people; the Electoral College is one topic of debate. Many feel this system is a safe way to regulate who leads the country, while others feel that issues should be left to popular vote.
The victory or defeat criteria is straightforward, however determining the continuity and change of the voter base can prove especially difficult given the nature of the United States. In regards to continuity and change Pomper writes, “since both are partially present in every contest, there can be no simple solution” (Pomper 538). Demographics are a moving target and therefore exit polls do not always tell the whole story. Every individual can stand for a race, a gender, an income, an education, an age, or a combination of countless categories. Another criticism of Pomper is the complication of “critical elections” and “temporary peculiarities.” Pomper defines a critical election as “not usually part of (these) stable periods, but serve as breaking points, ending one era and leading to the next” (Pomper 547). A “temporary peculiarity” marks surprising changes in party electorate, but do not mark the end of one era and the beginning of another. This makes elections hard to accurately classify until after the long-term effects have been
Having only two candidates running for the leader of our country restricts our choices for president. If a third part wins the majority of the popular vote, that doesn't necessarily mean they will be the president because it's all up to the electors. If the candidate doesn't win the electors' votes then they will not h...
It’s hard to imagine a period in American political history that hasn’t been dominated by a duopoly of political parties. Even though resistance from the founding fathers on the issue of political parties is well documented, the two-party system we are well accustomed to developed shortly after the emergence of the United States as an independent nation. Whether it was the Federalist/Democratic-Republican system in the late 18th and early 19th centuries or the Democratic/Republican system we know today, two ideologically opposite parties have always maintained dominant control of the American political system. The existence of third parties and independent candidates, therefore, complicates the political system that we have used for centuries. Steven Rosenstone contends that the existence of our current two-party system is due, in part, to the ability of the two major parties to provide benefits in exchange for voter support. What then occurs when either of the major parties fails in its responsibility to be accountable to the public? While several options exist, including the demand for change within major parties, third parties and independent candidates become a viable option to restore a sense of accountability among American politicians. Even though third parties and independent candidates might seem attractive to voters, they often are unable to find success in any major elections. This lack of success can be attributed to many different factors, including constitutional and electoral barriers, as well as deficiencies born from the general lack of knowledge about third parties. Why then do third parties and independent candidates continue to exist in American politics? The ability of a third party to influence the policy p...
There have been many different parties on the surface since the beginning of the American political system. They all have different thoughts, policies, and motivations. Each party has their own agenda; some have made significant contributions and others have not. The first split, and beginning of the party system, came with the variation between the Federalists and the Democratic Republicans. These two parties were extremely different in thought, strategies, and status of people involved, such as their leaders and beliefs on how to run the government.
Millions of citizens around the United States, at some point in their lifetime, obtain a political ideology. Typically, their political values are influenced by their parents. Political scientists have identified that around age eleven, children begin to develop political opinion. According to Wilson’s, American Government: Institutions and Policies, 91% of a high school senior class indentified with the same party as their parents (American Government 158). I can attest to this since I in fact have the same party association as my parents. Ever since I was young, I categorized myself as a Democrat due to the fact that my elders were. However, as I have matured I am able to recognize the beliefs and ideologies that followers of certain parties possess. Since I have been more exposed to the political arena I am able analyze the issues more critically and hence I continuously question whether I should classify myself as a Democrat or Republican.
Voting is at the center of every democratic system. In america, it is the system in which a president is elected into office, and people express their opinion. Many people walk into the voting booth with the thought that every vote counts, and that their vote might be the one that matters above all else. But in reality, America’s voting system is old and flawed in many ways. Electoral College is a commonly used term on the topic of elections but few people actually know how it works.
Cleavages existing in society are divisions such as religion, gender, race, and most importantly socioeconomic status. Political parties form around these divisions in society and in America’s society; money has proven to be the major factor. The major parties in American politics are Democrat and Republican, and the political preference of each member of these parties’ deals greatly with the amount of income they receive.
The United States of America has two political parties, Democrats and Republicans. The parties were created back in the 1800s and have become their own.The parties are both part of the American government, but they do not believe the same way. The differences in the parties are their beliefs in social issues. The disagreement between the two have been around since they were created. Although the political parties do not agree on social issues, they both want what is best for citizens in the United States. Without the two parties, America would not not have a way to tell their opinions. Democrats and Republicans have many similarities and differences.
Today, political parties can be seen throughout everyday life, prevalent in various activities such as watching television, or seeing signs beside the road while driving. These everyday occurrences make the knowledge of political parties commonly known, especially as the two opposing political parties: the Republicans and the Democrats. Republican and Democrats have existed for numerous years, predominantly due to pure tradition, and the comfort of the ideas each party presents. For years, the existence of two political parties has dominated the elections of the president, and lower offices such as mayor, or the House of Representatives. Fundamentally, this tradition continues from the very emergence of political parties during the election of 1796, principally between Federalist John Adams and Anti-federalist Thomas Jefferson. Prior to this election people unanimously conformed to the ideas of one man, George Washington, and therefore did not require the need for political parties.1 However, following his presidency the public was divided with opposing opinions, each arguing the best methods to regulate the country. Ultimately, the emergence of different opinions regarding the future of the United States involving the economy, foreign relations, ‘the masses,’ and the interpretation of the Constitution, led to the two political parties of the 1790s and the critical election of 1800.
Party identification is the political party that an individual categorizes themselves with. Political parties came about as a way to organize citizens with similar beliefs and attitudes. These parties then attempt to influence the government by electing members into office. Today there are two main parties people can identify with: Republican and Democrat. There is also a third choice, being an Independent, but for the purpose of this paper this group will not be recognized as a political party.
In America, political candidates go against one another in a process known as an election in which citizens vote for the next person who "best" fits the position. In addition, there are various amounts of debates on whether a citizen should be compelled to vote. Although some argue if citizens should be required by law to vote, there are exceeding an amount of disadvantages.
Despite being the constant underdog and loser in major elections third parties make some significant contribution to the political spectrum in the United States. Third Party Agendas are taken serious by the Democratic and Republican Parties and specific pieces of the Third Party Agendas are sometimes adopted by the two major parties. Third parties give discontented voters other alternatives. The Republican and Democratic Parties have been known to operate in similar styles and third parties give the voter the opportunity to express their discontent. The third parties in the United States are policy advocates and often are more specific about were they stand ideologically. Often the Republican and Democratic Parties try and take a moderate approach to political issues, and third parties are more conservative or liberal when it comes to political issues. Also, third parties tend to do exactly the opposite when their agenda concerns social issues. Then there is the ?spoiler factor? a Third Party Candidate can collect enough votes to change the outcome of a Presidential Election.
The two party system has encouraged the idea that voting for anyone who is not ‘blue’ or ‘red’ is a wasted vote. This can be seen in the lack of votes that 3rd party candidates are getting, for example in 2012 between the three third party candidates there was a total of 1,570,767 votes.(IVN) This could be because only a little more than half of the voting age population actually voted. (GMU) Or it could be to the lack of media coverage that they get. Third party candidates, or any candidate for that matter need to get at least 5% of the vote in a general election to get equal ballot access and federal funding like the two big parties. Another reason this idea of a wasted vote comes through is because no one knows what these other parties stand for they just hear what people on CNN, MSNBC, or Fox News say about them. For instance the libertarian party has been deemed nothing more than a bunch of pot smoking hippies just because they want to legalize marijuana. The big media outlets don’t look at the party as a whole and find one unpopular opinion they have and bash it into the skulls of their viewers as the truth.
The US has a two party system in which two parties dominate in the US