Parties and Elections Guided Notes

SS.7.C.2.8 POLITICAL PARTIES

Key Vocabulary
Political Party: an organization that tries to get political power by electing members to
public office so that their political ideas can become laws or policies
Candidate: a person running for political office
Partys Platform: a written statement of the goals of a political party
Two Party System: a political system consisting primarily of two major parties, more or less
equal in strength
Third Parties: a political party that is not one of the two major parties in the country; a
minor party
Majority Party: The political party that wins more seats in one house of the national or
state legislature
Minority Party: The party that wins fewer seats in one house of the national or state
legislature
1) What are the two major political parties in the United States? And what is the symbol of each
political party?
Democrats and Republicans. Democrat: Donkey & Republican: Elephant
2) Explain the core beliefs of the following political parties.
Political Party Core Beliefs
Democrats The federal government should take a more active role in
Liberal peoples lives, especially those in need. Democrats sometimes
government = bigger support raising taxes and government spending to pay for social
role programs. Characterized as liberal.
Republican The federal government should take a less active role in peoples
GOP lives and that individuals can take care of themselves without
Conservative government help. They sometimes support lowering taxes and
Government = smaller government spending. Characterized as Conservative.
role
Communist The federal government should control all production and supply
workers of goods and the workers should control their own lives and
destinies.
Libertarian The only purpose of the federal government is to protect
freedom; this party believes in individual freedom.
Socialist People should own and control all businesses through
democratically controlled public agencies (these are agencies
that are created based on the peoples choice/election) or other
groups.

SS.7.C.2.9 CANDIDATES & ELECTIONS

1) According to the U.S. Constitution, people running for national office must meet certain
qualifications. Examples of federal political offices are President, Vice President,
Congressman/woman, and Senator. The qualifications are unique to each office. Fill in the
following chart for the qualifications of each official position:
Federal Elected Description of Qualifications
Office
PRESIDENT 1. Minimum age: 35 yrs old

2. Has to live in the US for at least ____14___years

3. Citizenship requirements: must be a natural born citizen

4. May not serve more than two __4___-year terms. Maximum years

of presidency:

8 years.

5. The vice president may become president if the president dies,

resigns, or is removed from office. The vice president, upon

becoming president, may be president for no more than 10 years

A Member of the U.S. 1. 25 years old
HOUSE OF
REPRESENTATIVES 2. 7 years as a U.S. citizen
(U.S.
REPRESENTATIVE) 3. Members of the U.S. House of Representatives do not have to live

in the district that they represent, but they must live in the state in

which their district is located. 4. No term limits; they can serve an

unlimited number of 2-year terms

.
A member of the U.S. 1. 30 years old
SENATE (U.S.
SENATOR) 2. 9 years as a U.S. citizen

3. Members of the U.S. Senate must live in the state that they

represent.

4. No term limits; they can serve an unlimited number of 6-year

terms

2) The Each state has its own constitution that creates the states plan for government. The
Florida Constitution lists the qualifications people must meet in order to run for state
political offices. The qualifications for candidates running for city and county office are
listed in city and county charters. Fill in the following chart on the qualifications for each
states official position.

STATE ELECTED Description of Qualifications

OFFICE
GOVERNOR (Head of 1. U.S. citizen
the State) 2. At least 30 years old
3. Resident of the state for at least 5 years
4. May not serve more than two 4-year terms
LIEUTENANT 1. U.S. citizen
 GOVERNOR 2. At least 30 years old
3. Resident of the state for at least 5 years
4. May not serve more than two 4-year terms. If the lieutenant
governor becomes governor due to the resignation, death, or
removal of the governor, the lieutenant governor may be governor
for no more than 10 years (The lieutenant governor completes the
governors term and can run for governor in the next two elections.)
A member of the 1. U.S. citizen
FLORIDA HOUSE OF 2. Lives in the district he or she represents
REPRESENTATIVES 3. State resident for at least 2 years
(State 4. At least 21 years old
Representative)
A member of the 1. U.S. citizen
FLORIDA SENATE 2. Lives in the district he or she represents
(State Senator) 3. State resident for at least 2 years
4. At least 21 years old

3) What are some things voters should take into consideration when deciding who to vote
for?

a. Candidates previous experience

b. Candidates platform: What does he/she stand for. What are his/her ideas and beliefs.
c. Voters may want to consider political advertisements in magazines, newspapers,
television, radio, and websites.
d. A voter may want to watch a political debate before the election

SS.7.C.10 MONITORING & INFLUENCING GOVERNMENT

1) What are interest groups?
-A group of people who are concerned with a particular issue and who try to influence
legislators to act in their favor, also known as a special interest group
2) What are some methods used by interest groups to monitor and/or influence the government?
They use their 1st amendment right to peaceable assembly, free speech, and petition to
monitor and influence the government.
Political Action Committees, which are often connected to interest groups, can raise money and
contribute to the campaigns of candidates that they support.
Interest groups can work with members of Congress or with other elected legislators to get
laws passed. This is usually referred to as lobbying.
A voter may want to watch a political debate before the election
3) Define lobbying.
- Participating in activities in order to influence government officials
4) What methods are used by the media to monitor and/or influence the government?
- The media uses its first amendment right to freedom of the press. Examples: newspaper,
magazines, TV, radio, internet, social media (Facebook, Twitter, etc..)
5) How do individual citizens impact the government?
-By voting.
6) How does the media impact the government?
-The media serves as a watchdog, keeping an eye on the government and reporting on what
the government does.
7) How do interest groups impact the government?
- These groups form to support a specific issue and work in large numbers to get their issue
recognized by the government. Also, interest groups may hire lobbyists, who meet with
lawmakers to try to get their support for a bill that would benefit the issue the PAC supports.
8) What is a major part of a democracy?
-Voting

SS.7.C.2.11 MEDIA & POLITICAL COMMUNICATION

Key Vocabulary
Propaganda: The method of spreading ideas or information for the purpose of helping or
injuring an institution, a cause, or a person
Biased: A preference, opinion or attitude that favors one way of thinking or feeling over
another
Symbolic/Symbolism: The use of something to represent ideas or qualities

Explain each of the follow techniques of propaganda:

Testimonials: Usually involve celebrities or other respected people endorsing, officially
supporting, a product or idea.
Bandwagon: Getting people to make a decision based on what everyone else is doing. along
with the crowd
Name-Calling: Using negative words and bad names to create fear and dislike for people,
ideas, or institutions.
Glittering Generalities: The use of clever slogans that appeal to peoples emotions.
Card Stacking: Using facts and figures to show one side as positive and the other side as
negative.
Plain Folks: A technique designed to send the message that a product or person is just like
you.
Transfer: Uses your feelings about one thing to get you to feel the same way about something
else.