Political Parties, Campaigns, and Elections

In a democracy, the people choose their leaders — and that happens through political parties, campaigns, and elections. Understanding how this machinery works answers a reliable set of civics questions, and it explains a lot about how the country is actually run.

A political party is an organized group that shares goals and runs candidates for office. A campaign is the effort to get a candidate elected. An election is the process by which citizens vote to choose officials.

Political Parties

The United States has a two-party system, dominated by the Democratic and Republican parties, though smaller “third” parties exist. Parties recruit candidates, raise money, and organize voters around a shared platform of positions. Interest groups are related but different: they do not run candidates; instead they try to influence policy on specific issues, often through lobbying.

Campaigns and Elections

To win office, candidates run campaigns — giving speeches, advertising, debating, and raising money. Many partisan elections have two stages: a primary, where voters choose party nominees under state rules, and a general election, where voters choose among the nominees. The applicable plurality, majority, or runoff rule determines who wins office. Money and media play a large role, which is why judging campaign messages ties back to spotting bias and propaganda.

The Electoral College

Presidential elections have one more twist. Americans do not elect the president directly; they vote within their state, and each state’s electors cast the official votes through the Electoral College. A candidate needs a majority of electoral votes — 270 of 538 — to win. Because of this system, a candidate can occasionally win the presidency without winning the most individual (popular) votes nationwide. The test often checks whether you know the president is chosen by electoral votes, not the national popular vote alone.

Watch: A Short Video Lesson

CrashCourse gives a clear overview to go with this lesson:

A Routine for Election Questions

1. Parties run candidates; interest groups influence policy (lobbying), not elections.
2. Primaries select party nominees; the general election determines the winner under the applicable election rules.
3. The president is chosen by the Electoral College (270 to win).
4. Campaign messages carry a point of view — read them critically.

Practice

1. What is a political party?
2. How is an interest group different from a political party?
3. What happens in a primary election?
4. What is lobbying?
5. How is the U.S. president actually chosen?
6. How many electoral votes are needed to win the presidency?

Answers

1. An organized group that shares goals and runs candidates for office.
2. Interest groups influence policy but do not run their own candidates.
3. Each party’s voters choose their candidate.
4. Trying to influence lawmakers on specific issues.
5. Through the Electoral College.
6. 270.

Where This Fits in Your Social Studies Prep

Elections build on the principles of democracy and connect to how public policy is made once officials are in office. See every topic on the Social Studies Prep Hub.