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15 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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About 75% of the registered voters identify with |
one of the two major parties, about 5% identify with a minor party, and 20% don't identify with any party. |
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California's political parties were/are |
designed to be weak, and most voters like it this way. |
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Many citizens register their disapproval by |
refusing to vote or by registering to vote without affiliating with a party. |
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Over the last 50+ years, voters |
identifying as Democrat or Republican has dropped from around 94% to about 75%. |
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The four minor parties are |
the Libertarian, American Independent, Greens, and Peace & Freedom. |
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Ballots list candidates under |
office they seek and not under their political party. |
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California's civil service system fills |
98% of all state government jobs on the basis of competitive exams, thereby reducing patronage. |
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Local offices, and all judicial elections, are |
nonpartisan |
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Of the 19,279 elective offices in California, |
only 179 of them are partisan. |
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There has been an increase in |
nonaligned voters or 'swing voters' -- especially among young voters and minorities. |
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Of 20 million Californians eligible to vote (out of 38 million people) |
about 15 million have registered (73%) and fewer actually vote (42% or 8 million). |
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Outside of the political parties and their party-oriented organizations |
there are many grassroots groupings at work in California. |
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Some issues (economy, crime, environment, education) are best |
approached through issue-oriented organizations with no absolute loyalty to a party. |
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What do parties do? |
raise money, identify candidates, register voters, run campaign ads, identify issues and positions, and sponsor public debates. |
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Many Californians choose to be |
politically active (informed voters) without being involved with the traditional parties. |
