In an effort to attain social reform, the Populist Party swayed the outcome of elections and platforms in the latter 19th century. ... Like any third party, the Populist Party brought about issues too often ignored, while posing as a deciding factor in the outcome of elections. In the election of 1892, the electoral votes attained by the Populists led the democratic Cleveland to know Harrison out of office. ... They later merged into the Democratic party supporting bimetallism, yet there were still some of each side that began to feel that these "popocrats" were doing the worst for their in...

• Word Count: 377
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

The phrase "democratic deficit" describes any situation in which there is believed to be a lack of democratic accountability and control over the decision making process. ... Similarly the other members also are not elected but instead are dubiously appointed due to party patronage and therefore lack legitimacy. ... If we were to use a proportional system we could see equal fair amounts of voted parties in the UK. Parties with thinly spread support are often neglected with our current system and that is hardly democratic. ... In many ways the system is democratic because people can choose not ...

• Word Count: 764
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

In North America however, the Green Party has met with far less success. ... It was 1972 when the world's first "Green Party- (The National Values Party) was launched in Wellington, New Zealand, and they were considered radicals. ... In the event that the Green Party gained power, an initial tax hike would be necessary, as infrastructure was changed to coincide with Green Party policies. ... Lobbies in Washington make contributions to each party during election season, so that their interests are considered, whichever party wins the House of Representatives, as well as the White House. ...

• Word Count: 2158
• Approx Pages: 9
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

These unions eventually became the Populist Party. ... A large number of separate alliances had been created realizing that one uniform party would be more effective and efficient. ... The farmers felt dissatisfaction with Democratic and other political representation believing they weren't being represented or helped in any way. ... The party had many ideas that would protect common people mostly farmers and labors. ... The most notable issue of the Populist Party was free coinage of silver. ...

• Word Count: 636
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

However, despite the American ethos of democracy the Presidential election is not democratic. ... This system must be abandoned for a more democratic model in order to fully represent the citizens wishes in regards to whom they would have govern, as well as to repress the two-party system in order to revitalize the diversity of candidates. ... Voters with an opposing viewpoint, such as the marginalized Republican party of Massachusetts, know that their party does not have enough support to win a majority in the state without which they cannot obtain any electoral votes. ... Currently America ...

• Word Count: 901
• Approx Pages: 4
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

However it is a dereliction of the democratic obligation to simply give up and prosecute the electorate for choosing to abstain. ... 'A turnout of 86 per cent is one of the highest in the democratic world for any election or any referendum in history' (Salmond, 2014). ... A democratic constitution confers the right on citizens to participate in the nation's affairs through voting, through membership of political parties, through membership of pressure groups such as trades unions, through meetings and demonstrations. With evidence pointing towards political parties having a pivo...

• Word Count: 1001
• Approx Pages: 4
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

Is Money the End of Democratic Principle? ... "In 1995, tobacco interests gave $2.3 million to the Republican Party" (Jezer 1). ... In a time of economic setbacks, political scandals, and other developments, the majority of Americans lost trust in the two-party system and started supporting third parties. Thus, third parties have become more prominent over the years. ... For a just government to work, a democratic government must be elected democratically, and the citizens must have confidence that their voices count in the face of controlling economic interests. ...

• Word Count: 1345
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

While the macro level focuses on national patterns in voting and political parties. ... The Sectional Normal Vote is where certain political parties dominate certain regions of the country. In 1880, the North was dominated by Republicans and the South supported the Democratic candidates. ... Bryan was the nominee of the Populist Party which was concentrated in the West. ... During this period, support for the Democrats among white Southerners eroded as the national Democratic Party became identified with civil rights, labor unions, and isolationism in foreign policy. ...

• Word Count: 1572
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

As a result of no nationwide regulation to force people into identifying with a political party, partisan classification tends to be an unofficial mental commitment to a party. ... This leads to additional unfairness and, greater illegitimacy in the democratic system. ... In the majority party (the party which controls Congress), the person who has served the longest has the most power. ... A bureaucracy is not democratic for various reasons. ... Policy making may be considered democratic to an extent. ...

• Word Count: 1183
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

Democracy is a form of government offering a workable solution to the fundamental political problems of reaching a collective decisions by peaceful means..hague et al. 2001.It is the concept of collective decision and the mechanics of participation that is our concern, The forms of democracies in question that is, direct and representative are both in their own distinguish ways democratic and carry the connotation of rule of the people and by the people, but the bone of contention is the process by which these distinguish democratic ideas are put into practise. ... My point of argument is that...

• Word Count: 1556
• Approx Pages: 6
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

The single member plurality system (SMP), which Canada employs to fabricate a democratic election, can cause representatives to be elected without the majority of the popular vote. ... The party list system used to achieve PR relies on the voter to choose the party they wish to support as opposed to the actual candidate. ... The seats will be awarded to those at the top of the party list. ... An absence of this democratic right makes the Canadian government conducive to ineffectiveness. ... Party preferences seem to be divided across Canada. ...

• Word Count: 2609
• Approx Pages: 10
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

It may seem to be beyond argument that political participation is a key objective in all democratic institutions. ... In some respects, Americans are as ambivalent about political participation as they are about democratic values. ... It is healthy if memberships of political parties are large and active, and if attendance at political rallies is high, and so on. ... Yet another factor may be partisanship, which is voter identification with a specific political party. ... Some possibly feel that candidates no longer represent their respective parties. ...

• Word Count: 2179
• Approx Pages: 9
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

It is clear that times are changing and that we are moving out of a two party era and towards a multi-party politics. ... However, it is important to recognize that, that was due to the fact that party alignment was strong, when 'half a century ago one in four voters said that they identified with one of the main parties'. ... The consequences of this will be more hung parliaments, as the seats held by the two main parties will shrink and the growth of support f third parties will increase. The unrepresentative nature of FPTP will only persist on reducing the democratic values of th...

• Word Count: 1999
• Approx Pages: 8
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

These politicians have come very close to completely eliminating the two party system established by this country's forefathers. Some Republicans have been more liberal than their Democratic opposition; while many Democrats have displayed more conservative ideas than their Republican counterparts. ... Therefore, people who are used to voting for a specific party may decide to switch, while others may not vote at all simply because they are convinced that the country will run smoothly regardless of who is elected. In addition to nonvoting due to the break in political party boundaries, ma...

• Word Count: 486
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

Britain is the land of democracy, with every citizen having the right to vote for whichever party they desire. ... Another positive aspect is that usually clear majority votes are produced for one party or another. Which therefore means diminutive coalitions, which can give minority parties excessive influence compared with their support. ... At the moment our society is a democratic one. Although people may have qualms about the justice of the electoral system, there is no danger of one party having absolute power entirely. ...

• Word Count: 722
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

These moneys from rich individuals and corporations go to the parties, not directly to the candidates. ... As a practical matter, if you write a large check, you get to be well known in the party and gain a certain amount of access. ... This access was observed in the 1996 Presidential election, when the White House Lincoln bedroom was used to reward soft money donors to the Democratic Party. ... With barely fifty percent of eligible voters turning out at the polls during presidential election years, the issue of democratic participation has reached a critical level of urgency. ... "Both p...

• Word Count: 2003
• Approx Pages: 8
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

In a two-party electoral system it is reasonable to assume that half the coverage should be granted to one side and half to the other, and that any deviation from this pattern is considered coverage bias. ... The largest effect discovered for television news was a ratio of 47.3 Republican minutes for every 52.7 Democratic minutes, a preponderance almost certainly undetectable by the audience. ... In their 2000 study Allen & D" Alessio discovered a tiny but consistent pro-Democratic bias in television news coverage of presidential elections. ... Which I believe reasonably implies that in a ...

• Word Count: 1419
• Approx Pages: 6
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

These television ads are used to undermine the reputation of his Democratic competitor for governor, Charlie Crist. ... In 2012 only 31% of the Florida voters viewed Scott favorably and even 53% of his own Republican Party wanted someone other than him as a candidate (Wallace). ...

• Word Count: 954
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

Most of these states seemed to be in a rush to enact voter ID laws before the 2012 election in which the democratic candidate, Barack Obama, the first person of color to hold office as president, could possibly be re-elected. ...

• Word Count: 2997
• Approx Pages: 12
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate