How Political Campaigns and Elections Work

How Political Campaigns and Elections Work — page 5
Political Parties Political parties are large organizations They are made up of politicians and supporters who share the same basic ideas The Constitution does not mention political parties In fact George Washington disliked the idea of parties He worried elected workers would work harder for their party than for all citizens Most recent elections feature a candidate from the Democratic Party running against a candidate from the Republican Party 6 governmental power The Founding Fathers made sure each branch had ways to limit the power of the other branches The responsibilities of the three branches are laid out in the US Constitution This important document took effect in 1789 The Branches The legislative branch or legislature decides on new laws The people elected to work for this branch may represent an entire state or a small part of a town The federal legislature is called the US Congress