| American Government |
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| Sections: Introduction | Section 1 | Section 2 | Section 3 | Section 4 |
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Government : Political Participation : Section One Political Parties
A political party is an organization whose goal is to gain control of the running of the government. As linkage institutions, political parties nominate candidates for public office, run campaigns, inform voters and create policies. In order to belong to one, you do not need to pay dues or pass an exam, all you need to do is say you are a member of that party. When you register to vote, you are asked to choose a party delegation. You always have the option of choosing to be independent – or not to affiliate with any party.
Children tend to learn about politics from various places, such as the families, the media and school. The process through which young people learn about politics and develop their political views is called political socialization. Children often support the same party, and have similar beliefs, as their parents, although as they grow up, these views sometimes change. The United States has a two party system. This is one in which two major parties exist. Some countries may have a one party system or a multi party system. In a one party system, only one party is allowed to exist, and there is no political choice. In some cases, elections may be held, but they are not legitimate because voters do not really have a choice in parties and sometimes candidates. This system is common in dictatorships and totalitarian states. A multi party system is one that has many political parties. Nations with multi party systems are said to give voters more choices; however it is nearly impossible for one candidate to gain a majority in an election. The reason behind having a two party system is that it allows for a candidate to gain the support of a majority of the electorate. In the American political system, there are many other smaller political parties that are known as minor parties. Minor parties are those that are not one of the major two parties in our system, but they also run candidates for office. Minor parties, also called third parties, have been successful in winning local and state elections, and even a few congressional elections, however they have not been successful in winning the presidency. Some more commonly known minor parties are the Green Party and the Libertarian Party. For more information about minor parties, check out the Politics1 website or search the web for information about American political parties. The term partisanship refers to a person’s tendency to support the beliefs and policies of their own political party as opposed to those of the other party. Today’s Democratic Party is generally in favor of government-funded social programs and is more socially and fiscally liberal. Democrats tend to support big government, meaning that the government oversees and is involved in many things such as taxation and spending government money, placing restrictions on businesses, and creating regulations to protect the environment. The Republican Party is generally more fiscally and socially conservative and supports lower taxes, and privatization of social programs as well as emphasizing a free market economy. Accounting for more than a third of American voters, independents outnumber the Republicans and the Democrats. A voter who is registered as an independent is not a member of either major party. More today than in the past, people are choosing to vote for candidates from both major parties during the same election. Many people, however, even if they do not select a party to affiliate with, will generally lean in one direction or the other when selecting who to vote for in an election.
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In a large nation like the United States, it is impossible for each of us to individually put our concerns on a ballot and have the people vote on all our concerns. Because of this, organizations called 
Discussion 1 – Which political party do you agree with most? Check out the Politics1 site, or other sites about the different parties. Also, if you’re still unsure, there are many political quizzes available online that you can find by doing a simple search. Which party do you agree with most and why? Be sure to include a discussion of at least two issues that you agree on with the party and explain why those issues were important deciding factors in your choice of party.
Now it’s time to take the quiz on section 1. When you are finished, proceed to section 2.