Voting Today There are two types of political efficacy o internal efficacy the belief that one can understand politics and therefore participate in politics you believe that you can navigate politics and make a decision o external efficacy the belief that one is effective when participating in politics for example that the government will respond to one s demands if you believe government is responsible to the people people think there votes really make a difference Mobilizing encouraging people to express themselves politically and take political action Same day registration is one of easiest ways to register Even if you distrust government you are still likely to vote Our electorate is not representative of all levels and parts of the US o Not proportional to population o Some groups are more represented and some are less represented Wealthy well educated older white people are over represented Cheapest to reach and easiest to mobilize Poor uneducated young minorities nonwhites are under represented Having to show voter IDs has little effect on illegals voting because they probably wouldn t try to vote anyway o It simply makes it more inconvenient for others to vote can cause fear in people who speak English as second language even if they are legal Republicans think they will benefit more from need for voter IDs Party label is most important information short cut voters use to make predictions o Stronger with more polarized parties Party identification is best single predictor of how you will vote in federal elections Defection those favoring one party select the candidate of another o Ex Ronald Regan pulled in many blue collar Democrat s votes Soft Money a contribution to a political party that is not accounted as going to a particular candidate thus avoiding various legal limitations Party History Three segments parts that form the overarching party o Party in government An alliance of current officeholders cooperating to shape public policy o Party in organizations Dedicated to electing the party s candidates o Party in the Electorate Composed of those voters who identify with the party and regularly vote for its nominees Professional Politicians National Convention convention held every four years by each of the major political parties to nominate apresidential candidate Why did political parties emerge o o o o o Build Stable Legislative and Electoral Alliances so they could win the majority and get their policy passed and moving To Mobilize Voters To Develop New Electoral Techniques designed to excite voters emotionally so that they would be motivated to vote and avoid the free rider problem To Use Party Labels and Enforce Collective Responsibility Duverger s Law principle that asserts that plurality rule elections structured within single member districts tend to favor a two party system Interest Groups Focus more on an issue whereas parties focus on getting their candidate elected Encouragement of federal government is most important factor that has proliferated interest groups