Last one was 2016, next should be 2021

OBJECTIVES

Describe how political parties prepare for elections. Outline the factors that influence the outcomes of elections. Describe the factors that influence voter participation in elections. “Elections matter, but how much they matter depends entirely on how free, open and fair they are.”

– Elliott Abrams

POLITICAL PARTIES

A political party is defined as an organised group of people, with similar political aims and opinions, that seeks to influence public policy by getting its candidates elected to public office.

Political parties are institutions of democracy. They are essential as, by competing in elections, parties offer citizens a choice in who will govern, and while in opposition they help to hold governments accountable. Most citizens will join political parties, volunteer their time, donate money and vote for their choice leaders. In doing this, they are exercising their basic democratic rights. Participation of citizens in political parties offers unique benefits, including opportunities to influence policy choices, to choose and engage political leaders, and to run for office. The role of political parties is, therefore, of extreme importance.

Political parties perform key tasks in a democratic society, such as:

1. Amassing and expressing the needs and problems as identified by members and supporters of the party.

2. Socialising and educating voters and citizens on the functioning of the political and electoral system.

3. Activating and mobilising citizens into participating in political decisions and channelling public opinion from citizens to government, behaving as a mediator.

4. Recruiting and training candidates for public office, and using them to help citizens in each constituency in fulfilling their needs and expectation as much as possible within the law.

As mentioned before, political parties may be described as institutionalized mediators between civil society and those who decide and implement decisions. This gives them the opportunity to enable their members’ and supporters’ demands to be represented in parliament and in government.

CANDIDATE

This is a person who is selected by others as a contestant for an office; in this case, to become a member of parliament or a parish councillor.

It is, therefore, apparent that political parties and their candidates are key stakeholders in elections. They are the ones competing for public office, carrying out election campaigns, and trying to convince persons to vote for them. From another perspective, the final validation of the election result is, in practice, in the hands of the political parties and candidates. If they do not accept the results due to real or perceived electoral fraud or irregularities, the legitimacy of the resulting legislature or government is threatened.

Parties and candidates are also described many times as actors who have the potential to be destructive. Practices of vote buying or illegal party finance, the proliferation of defamation and hate speech in campaigns, voter intimidation by party workers, corruption in decision-making, and the systematic exclusion of certain sectors of society constitute examples of where political parties threaten the functioning of democratic systems rather than support it. Laws and regulations regarding campaigning, funding, and functioning of political parties have been developed to minimise the potential disruptive influence of political parties while still allowing them enough freedom to contest elections.

PREPARATION FOR ELECTIONS

Since political parties are part of the democratic system in the Caribbean, where elections are held every five years in most countries, they must prepare for elections so they can win and be the next government.

1. Candidate selection: Candidates will be selected to represent the party or a constituency.

2. Campaigning/fundraising: Funds will have to be raised legally to help in campaigns.

3. Monitoring of performance: Parties will look on important issues and this will include monitoring the party in power or in opposition.

4. Monitoring of electoral process: The careful monitoring of the electoral processes will be very essential, so too encouraging public opinion polls to gain support for the party.

5. Party manifesto: Each party is required to publish a manifesto which is a public declaration of policies and aims of the party.

FACTORS INFLUENCING VOTER TURNOUT

Voter turnout is affected by many variables – from family and community factors to election competition and mobilisation.

ACTIVITIES

1. Complete the table below:

SOURCES

http://aceproject.org/ace-en/topics/pc/onePage http://www.nonprofitvote.org/voter-turnout-factors.html Syllabus for Social Studies CSEC Political parties: https://www.ndi.org/what-we-do/politicalparties

1. Voter apathy, meaning voters’ lack of interest, enthusiasm or concern for politics or towards a candidate.

2. Family and friends: Voting as a cultural and civic tradition and voter loyalty to political parties. Those who grow up around family members who vote and discuss politics frequently are more likely to vote themselves.

3. Voter education: Education has always been a significant factor in a person’s likelihood of voting. The more educated the person is, the more likely it is that he/she will vote.

4. Voter attitudes towards the government: People are less likely to vote if they don’t believe that their vote will be counted, or if they don’t trust the government. A loss of faith in the electoral process leads to a belief that a person’s vote doesn’t really matter.

5. Campaign issues and how far-reaching these issues are, and how much they affect individuals.

6. Voters’ age will also affect their voting; younger persons will have to be encouraged