POLS 2312 1st Edition Exam 2 Study Guide Lectures 11 18 Lecture 11 September 22 Political Parties What is the function of political parties Parties nominate and elect members to public office and simplify issues for voters for better understanding They mobilize voters run the government and divide it Who is JM Lozano In 2011 J M Lozano switched to the Republican Party and for the 1st time they exceeded 100 members in the Texas House of Representatives Republicans now had supermajority enabling them to pass legislation with little interference from a minority party Define Partisan Polarization Partisan Polarization is the degree to which Republicans have become more conservative and Democrats more liberal Define Political Socialization Political Socialization is the intro of people into political culture learning underlying beliefs and values on which a political system is based Lecture 12 September 24 Factionalism and Demographics What is the importance of conservatives Conservatives support free market unfettered by government control and government action to preserve moral values Conservative Democrats controlled the party until 1978 Conservatives make up state s power elite and are more likely to vote What is the importance of libertarians Libertarians support a hands off philosophy that includes individual liberty and personal responsibility They are a 3rd party and believe in limited government and can be considered fiscal conservatives and social liberals What is the importance of liberals Liberals believe the government should regulate the economy protect the disadvantaged civil rights and promote equality What was the result of our class poll In our class poll the vast majority of students said they were some type of moderate be it middle moderate liberal moderate or conservative moderate What do most blacks identify themselves as Most blacks are democratic however former railroad commissioner Michael Williams became the 1st black Republican elected to that statewide post and Supreme Court Chief Justice Wallace Jefferson is also Republican What do most Hispanics identify themselves as Hispanics tend not to vote but when they do they lean towards the Democratic side If Democrats could get Hispanics to vote they could win the majority What do most whites identify themselves as Most whites in Texas are Conservative but white liberals are mostly located in Austin Houston Dallas and San Antonio Lecture 13 September 26 The Rise of the Republican Party Define realignment Realignment is when Texas is becoming Republican dominated This shift was spurred by Ronald Reagan Many newcomers are Republican and long term economic trends have benefitted Republicans Define dealignment Dealignment is when people are not really associated with parties They call themselves independents and their voting split ticket in Texas What is the Tea Party Movement The Tea Party Movement was created after Barrack Obama s election and it s a political movement that advocates lower government spending lower taxes and limited government Define precinct A precinct is the most basic level of political organization at the local level Define precinct chair A precinct chair is the local party official elected in the party s primary election who heads the precinct convention and serves on party s county executive committee Define precinct convention A precinct convention is held by a political party to select delegates for the county convention and submit resolutions to the party s state platform These are held on the day of party s primary election and open to anyone who voted in that election Define county executive committee The county executive committee is a party group made up of the party s county chair and precinct chairs They re responsible for running the county s primary elections and planning county conventions Define county chair County chair is the county party official who heads the county executive committee Define county convention The county convention is held by a political party following its precinct conventions for the purpose of electing delegates to its state convention Define state executive committee The state executive committee is responsible for governing party s activities through the state Define state chair and vice chair State Chair and Vice Chair are the top 2 state level leaders in the party Define state convention A state convention is held every two years for the purpose of nominating candidates for statewide office adopting a platform electing a party s leadership and in presidential years selecting delegates for the national convention and choosing presidential electors Lecture 14 September 29 Voting What are the qualifications to vote To vote one must be 18 years of age a U S citizen a resident of Texas for 30 days and a resident of the county for 30 days How can you register to vote To register to vote you can register by mail or in person up to 30 days before an election You may register when renewing a driver s license a spouse parent or offspring may register an applicant provided they are qualified voters However making registration easier did not increase voter turnout Turnout in the U S is lower than in most countries The U S is fourth to last with only 56 6 of Americans voting Italy has the highest voter turnout with 92 5 What is the Motor Voter Law The Motor Voter Law is a national act passed in 1993 that requires states to allow people to register to vote when applying for a driver s license What is early voting Early voting is a procedure that allows voters to cast ballots during a 2 week period before the regularly scheduled election date What contributes to low participation rates in voting 1 Low levels of educational attainment 2 Low per capita income 3 High rate of poverty 4 Location in the South 5 6 7 8 9 Young Population Traditionalistic and Individualistic Political Culture Candidate centered elections and little party competition Lack of media attention to substantive political issues Large numbers of undocumented residents and felons Define traditionalistic Traditionalistic is the political and economic elite discouraging others from voting Define individualistic Individualistic is when people believe there s a real or perceived corruption in the government so they don t vote Lecture 15 October 6 Elections What are the primaries The primaries are devices for selecting political party nominees It is a ballot vote in which citizens select a party s