Unit 5: pOLITICAL pARTICIPATION

Political parties, interest groups, and social movements provide opportunities for participation and influence how people relate to government and policy-makers.

CPAs due 11/27/2023 (along with 5.1-5.2)

• 5.3A -  Describe linkage institutions.

  • Linkage institutions are channels that allow individuals to communicate their preferences to policy-makers:

    • Political parties

    • Interest groups 

    • Elections 

    • Media

• 5.3B -  Explain the function and impact of political parties on the electorate and government.

  • The functions and impact of political parties on the electorate and government are represented by:

    • Mobilization and education of voters

    • Party platforms

    • Candidate recruitment

    • Campaign management, including fundraising and media strategy

    • The committee and party leadership systems in legislatures

• 5.4-  Explain why and how political parties change and adapt.

  • Parties have adapted to candidate-centered campaigns where the public focus is on the characteristics of the candidate and not on the party. The role of parties in nominating candidates has also been weakened.

  • Parties may adapt their policies and messaging to appeal to various demographic coalitions.

  • The structure of parties has been influenced by: 

    • Critical elections (elections in which there is a realignment of political party support among voters)  

    • dealignment

    • Campaign finance law 

    • Changes in communication and data-management technology

      • Parties use communication technology and voter data management to disseminate, control, and clarify political messages and enhance outreach and mobilization efforts.

• 5.5 -  Explain how structural barriers impact third-party and independent candidate success.

  • There are different types of third parties:

    • ideological parties

    • splinter parties

    • economic-protest parties

    • single-issue parties

  • In comparison to proportional systems, single-member winner-take-all voting districts serve as a structural barrier to third-party and independent candidate success. Winner-take-all voting advantages the two-party system in the US. 

  • The incorporation of third-party agendas into platforms of major political parties serves as a barrier to third-party and independent candidate success.

Political parties, interest groups, and social movements provide opportunities for participation and influence how people relate to government and policy-makers.

CPAs due 11/13/2023 (along with 5.12-5.13)

• 5.6A - Explain the benefits and potential problems of interest-group influence on elections and policy making.

  • Interest groups may represent very specific or more general interests, and can:

    • educate voters and office holders

    • conduct lobbying

    • draft legislation

    • mobilize membership to apply pressure on and work with legislators and government agencies through grassroots lobbying

    • Interest groups may also file an amicus curiae brief (a written document submitted as a “friend of the court” to provide additional information for justices to consider when reviewing the case)

    • In addition to working within party coalitions, interest groups exert influence through iron triangles and issue networks that help interest groups exert influence across political party coalitions.

• 5.6B -  Explain how variation in types of interest groups and the resources interest groups possesses affects their ability to influence elections and policy making.

  • The inequality of interest group resources affects the amount of influence they may have on the policymaking process. 

    • Some interest groups, such as AARP, have large memberships, are able to mobilize those members, and possess access to large financial reserves.

    • Some interest groups have more direct and more frequent access to important people in the policy process.

    • Free riders are individuals who benefit from the work of an interest group without providing financial support. 

      • Interest groups may deal with this issue by providing selective benefits, goods and services that are only available to members, to encourage more people to join.

• 5.7 - Explain how various political actors influence public policy outcomes.

  • Single-issue groups, ideological/social movements, and protest movements form with the goal of affecting society and policymaking.

  • Competing actors such as interest groups, professional organizations, social movements, think tanks, the military, and bureaucratic agencies, and the "revolving door" influence policy making, such as the federal budget process, at key stages and to varying degrees.

  • Elections and political parties are related to major policy shifts or initiatives, occasionally leading to political realignments of voting constituencies.

The impact of federal policies on campaigning and electoral rules continues to be contested by both sides of the political spectrum.

CPAs due 12/4/2023

• 5.8A -  Explain how the different processes work in a U.S. presidential election.

  • The process and outcomes in U.S. presidential elections are affected by:

    • Incumbency advantage phenomenon (benefits current officeholders posses over challengers)

    • Open, closed, and blanket primaries (voting processes to elect candidates)

      • Super Tuesday

    • Caucuses (closed meetings of party members to select candidates or decide policy)

    • Party conventions 

    • General (presidential) elections 

    • The Electoral College

• 5.8B -  Explain how the Electoral College affects US Presidential elections.

  • States can choose how they allocate their electors; most states use a winner-take-all system. 

  • Because the results of the Electoral College vote may not be the same as the popular vote nationwide, there is an ongoing debate over the Electoral College.

    • Pros and Cons of Electoral College

• 5.9 -  Explain how the different processes work in U.S. congressional elections.

  • The process and outcomes in U.S. congressional elections are affected by:

    • Incumbency advantage phenomenon 

    • Open and closed primaries 

      • "Getting primaried"

    • Caucuses 

    • General (presidential and midterm) elections

      • Coattail Effect

• 5.10 -  Explain how campaign organizations and strategies affect the election process.

  • The benefits and drawbacks of modern campaigns are represented by:

    • Dependence on professional consultants 

    • Rising campaign costs and intensive fundraising efforts 

    • Duration of election cycles 

    • Impact of and reliance on social media for campaign communication and fundraising

• 5.11 -  Explain how the organization, finance, and strategies of national political campaigns affect the election process.

  • Federal legislation and case law pertaining to campaign finance demonstrate the ongoing debate over the role of  hard money and soft money in political and free speech, as set forth in:

    • Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002, which was an effort to ban soft money and reduce attack ads with “Stand by Your Ad” provision: “I’m [candidate’s name] and I approve this message”

    • Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (2010), which ruled that political spending by corporations, associations, and labor unions is a form of protected speech under the First Amendment.

      • Debates have increased over free speech and competitive and fair elections related to money and campaign funding (including contributions from individuals, political action committees [PACs], SuperPACs, and political parties).

      • Different types of PACs influence elections and policy making through fundraising and spending.

The various forms of media provide citizens with political information and influence the ways in which they participate politically.

CPAs due 11/13/2023 (along with 5.6-5.7)

• 5.12 - Explain the media’s role as a linkage institution.

  • Agenda setting takes place when traditional news media, new communication technologies, and advances in social media influence how citizens routinely acquire political information, including: 

    • news events

    • investigative journalism and the media as "watchdog"

    • election coverage

    • political commentary

  • The media’s use of polling results to convey popular levels of trust and confidence in government can impact elections by turning such events into “horse races” based more on popularity and factors other than qualifications and platforms of candidates.  The media plays the role of "score keeper".

• 5.13 - Explain how increasingly diverse choices of media and communication outlets influence political institutions and behavior.

  • Political participation is influenced by a variety of media coverage, analysis, and commentary on political events.

  • The rapidly increasing demand for media and political communications outlets from an ideologically diverse audience have led to debates over the role of the media as "gatekeeper"  and media bias and the impact of media ownership and partisan news sites.

  • The nature of democratic debate and the level of political knowledge among citizens is affected by:

    • Increased media choices

    • Ideologically oriented programming

    • Consumer-driven media outlets and emerging technologies that reinforce existing beliefs

    • Uncertainty over the credibility of news sources and information.