Political parties are a vehicle for organizing political action and thought within a democracy and serve many purposes, including:
- They put candidates forward to win elections at all levels of government.
- They develop policy platforms that represent an ideological perspective of some citizens in a nation.
- They mobilize voters to support their candidates.
- And they influence public policy based on their ideological views.
Our Founding Fathers had mixed views on whether political parties would divide our young republic or whether they were necessary to channel the inherent factionalism in a diverse society. Still, our Founders were well aware of the potential dangers and utility of political parties.
Political parties in the United States channel the views of different elements of American society. In doing so, they fulfil an important democratic role by giving citizens’ diverse viewpoints a platform. When a country has only one political party, citizens’ views aren’t adequately represented in the political process and power is consolidated in the hands of only one group. When political parties advance their platforms at the expense of democratic values, they erode the very system that establishes them. So, while we may disagree with a party that is not our own, acknowledging the importance of having two or more democratically oriented political parties also matters significantly to American democracy.
Within each political party there will be a diversity of views, and no party ever represents every citizen perfectly. Voters can align with political leaders of different parties on specific issues, and collaboration across the political aisle is a natural and healthy part of a democracy.
Americans have the responsibility to hold our leaders accountable for healthy political action, and that includes political party leaders. We must ensure that they serve our nation by upholding our democratic values.
Let’s avoid our Founding Fathers’ worse fears about divisiveness and democratic erosion.
Democracy is a verb.
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