political parties & elections

Question 1

origins & developments of political parties

Answer 1

• legislative bodies have always had smaller factions composed of individual members with similar interests/perspectives
• ex; British parliament (legislative body) took power to choose cabinet ministers away from monarch & into hands of elected representatives → these factions transformed themselves in political parties
• these political parties developed central role in the competition for political power in legislative bodies & in governing

Question 2

political party

Answer 2

• organization that seeks to gain & maintain political power
• separate political candidates & organizations based on ideologies & preferences/goals for political system
• parties first appeared as way to get voters active & involved (later, issues became more structured)

Question 3

contemporary political parties

Answer 3

• most major political parties are electoral-professional parties (main focus is winning elections & rely on using experts to help them appeal to voters)
• instead of relying on their own ideas, they hire experts to help with advertising, messaging, & strategies to get more votes
• appeal to electorate (voters) by avoiding clear ideological positions, shifting their position in response to public opinions, & focus on personal qualities of party leaders & candidates rather than emphasizing specific policies of ideas (known as ‘brokerage parties’)

Question 4

cadre and mass parties

Answer 4

• as right to vote began to expand, parties that emerged from parliamentary groups looked to local elites who had the influence & finances to support the party’s candidates in elections

Question 5

cadre parties

Answer 5

• relatively small, centralized leadership group which holds significant control over party’s decision making
• often rely on small core of dedicated activists or party members highly committed to party’s ideologies/goals
• ex; communist party of China, Bloc Québécois of Canada

Question 6

mass parties

Answer 6

• developed in late 1800s to challenge elites which dominated political life + to organize mass of the population (included citizens, workers, & other social groups who had been excluded from participation in politics)
• typically have more decentralized organization structure + power distributed across various levels of party hierarchy
• characterized by broader base of support & participation among general population
• ex; democratic/republican parties in US & Labour Party in UK

Question 7

Conservative Party

Answer 7

• Canada’s first organized political party; organized as a cadre party based on coalition of factions that supported the union of the British North American colonies in 1867 (brought British colonies Quebec, Ontario, Nova Scotia, & New Brunswick together in new Dominion of Canada)
• new version of Conservative Party (post 2003) generally favours small govn’t, lower taxes, less regulation of business, free trade, increased provincial govn’t autonomy

Question 7

Liberal Party

Answer 7

• generally adopted the position of classic liberalism; favouring free trade, limited govn’t, supporting provincial rights rather than dominant centralized govn’t
• like early Conservative Party, adjusted its ideological perspective to gain support + became associated with national unity & oversaw development of welfare state in 1940s (brining country together + helping everyone by providing basic needs like healthcare & financial assistance)

Question 8

New Democratic Party

Answer 8

• formed in 1961
• roots in cooperative commonwealth federation (political party established in Canada during great depression) which was established by various representatives of farmer, labour, and socialist groups
• supports welfare state measures, greater social & economic equality, & stronger environmental regulations

Question 9

The Bloc Québécois Party

Answer 9

• founded in 1990 by some members of parliament (mainly conservative, but also liberal) who were upset that PC govn’t was considering modifying a proposed constitutional agreement which would have recognized Quebec as a distinct society
• favours Quebec independence & contests seats only in Quebec
• tends to favour social democratic policies (social justice, equality, strong welfare state, while supporting regulated market economies) & stronger environmental measures

Question 10

one-party system

Answer 10

• political system where only one political party is allowed to form the govn’t or compete in elections
• found in authoritarian system (former communist soviet union)
• still some today (China, Cuba, Myanmar)

Question 11

competitive party system

Answer 11

• electoral system found in liberal democracies where political parties are permitted to compete with one another for support from the electorate
• common among liberal democracies
• real & legitimate chance that more than one party may win power

Question 12

two-party system

Answer 12

• competitive party systems marked by two dominant parties
• US often seen this way, though other parties exists (democrats & republicans have real power)

Question 13

multi-party systems

Answer 13

• competitive party system with more than two parties
• Canada (liberals, NDP, greens, Bloc Québécois, conservatives) → liberals & conservatives tend to have more power nationally

Question 14

ideology & party systems

Answer 14

• most party systems feature at least some degree of ideological competition
• many countries outside North America feature competition between social democratic parties & conservative or christian democratic parties
• in canada & US, the ideological differences between leading parties generally have not been consistent or clear

Question 15

candidate selection

Answer 15

• selection by parliamentary party → votes or decision making among party’s MPs
• selection at party conventions → during party conventions, delegates may vote to choose party’s candidates
• selection by direct membership vote → all members of political party have opportunity to vote directly for their preferred candidates
• gender quotas are increasingly being applied to select candidates

Question 16

party policy

Answer 16

• in some parties, there is vigorous debate over proposed ideas & plans for actions (party resolutions) at party conventions → provide opportunity for active party members to be involved in discussion of policy positions
• however, party leader & key party officials often exercise considerable degree of control over process of discussing & adopting resolutions at party convention

Question 17

party finance

Answer 17

• parties need money to finance their operations & conduct election campaigns
• many countries have limits established on election expenses for fairer competition (restrictions on campaign advertising, provide money for parties & campaigns, require public disclosure of donations)
• until 2004, there were no limits on contributions to political parties & candidates at national level in Canada

Question 18

democratic elections

Answer 18

• elections vary greatly (can be considered democratic or one which coerces or manipulates voters into endorsing a dictatorial ruler)
• practice of elections in many countries (particularly newer democracies) fall between the two extremes
• even long-established democracies do not necessarily provide a completely fair election process (ex; minorities/marginalized communities may face barriers to voting)

Question 19

meaningful elections

Answer 19

• elections are only meaningful if those elected have real power & following conditions exist;
• right of all adult citizens to vote (universal suffrage)
• voters provided with useful information
• process overseen by independent commission (operates separately from influence of any political party or govn’t)
• elections held on fairly regular basis

Question 20

democracy & voting

Answer 20

• most direct way we are involved is through voting & ‘elections’ (choosing governors whereby individual citizens cast their vote for candidates running for office)
• can be through direct democracy

Question 21

suffrage

Answer 21

• right to vote is not always fully democratic
• suffrage (granting of the right to vote) historically has been evolutionary, where some groups where not necessarily given the same rights
• ex; women, minorities, aboriginals

Question 22

voting

Answer 22

• most often, candidates for election will represent a political party
• parties have their own rules & processes for choosing their candidates & set their own election ‘platforms’ (position of political parties/individuals regarding issues & political intentions)
• some will be independents, or independent political candidates belonging to no party
• candidates will run in ridings or constituencies

Question 23

constituencies

Answer 23

• territorial/geographical localities (ridings) represented by a politician chosen through electoral process
• based on region & who lives where through enumeration (determine number of citizens eligible to vote in constituency)
• divided equitably, based on where people live
• ridings in rural Saskatchewan will be physically much larger than urban ones

Question 24

gerrymandering

Answer 24

• controversial method of grouping together or dividing groups of voters to maximize or reduce their power
• setting boundaries for ridings can often be influenced by politics & controversial

Question 25

apathy

Answer 25

• low voter turnout is often caused by apathy (citizens do not vote or follow election process since they believe elections do not affect them or they have little influence over outcomes)
• challenge is to make voters feel connected & that their vote counts
• some systems (Australia) have made voting ‘the law’ → compulsory voting