ABSTRACT
Political parties are an important part of a democratic electoral system. In fact, for some scholars, they are absolutely essential. They provide critical links among the electorate, the candidates, and the government. Within the populace, parties structure the electorate. They create alliances among groups and allegiances among individuals. They inform people about the issues, get them involved in the campaign, and encourage them to vote. The Democratic and Republican parties have persisted over the years because of their flexibility in adjusting to changes that have affected American society. The major parties have successfully weathered these changes because they have usually been more pragmatic than ideological, more inclusive than exclusive, and more decentralized than centralized. Political parties are not mentioned in the Constitution, nor did the framers anticipate them when they created the electoral system. They did anticipate that groups would be active within the political arena, however.
