The process of creating a party platform begins at the precinct level through those who voted in their state’s Primary Election. The Primary Election is the only time a voter must choose a political party before voting. In the November General Election, a voter may split the ticket by voting for a Democrat in one race and a Republican in another. Contact the political party of your choice to find out the process and the dates of your state’s Primary Election. If you are not currently registered to vote, you may register to vote at https://vote.usa.gov/.
The following texts compare how both US major parties respond to three controversial issues as reported in their 2000 and 2012 platforms. The 2016 platforms are not yet available. They are ussually issued at their respective National Conventions.
Three issues in US National Political Platforms
On Prayer in Schools
The Democrats' Platform
The Republicans' Platform
No mention of prayer in school.
We will continue to work for the return of voluntary school prayer to our schools and will strongly enforce the Republican legislation that guarantees equal access to school facilities by student religious groups. We strongly support voluntary student-initiated prayer in school without governmental interference. We strongly disagree with the Supreme Court’s ruling [Jane Doe v. Santa Fe, prohibiting prayers at football games, athletic events and school graduations], backed by the current administration against student-initiated prayer.
On Abortion
The Democrats' Platform
The Republicans' Platform
The Democratic Party stands behind the right of every woman to choose, consistent with Roe v. Wade, and regardless of ability to pay. We believe it is a fundamental constitutional liberty that individual Americans - not government - can best take responsibility for making the most difficult and intensely personal decisions regarding reproduction. This year’s Supreme Court rulings show to us all that eliminating a woman’s right to choose is only one Justice away.† That’s why the stakes in this election are as high as ever. Our goal is to make abortion less necessary and more rare, not more difficult and more dangerous.
† The Supreme Court in that year recorded the most 5-4 decisions in its history, meaning that most decisions – on either side – might have been reversed if only one Justice had changed his or her mind.
We support a human life amendment to the Constitution and we endorse legislation to make clear that the Fourteenth Amendment's protections apply to unborn children. Our purpose is to have legislative and judicial protection of that right against those who perform abortions. We oppose using public revenues for abortion and will not fund organizations which advocate it. We support the appointment of judges who respect traditional family values and the sanctity of innocent human life. The Supreme Court's decision [Stenberg v. Carhart], peohibiting States from banning partical-birth abortions ─ a procedure denounced by a committee of the American Medical Association and rightly branded as infanticide† ─ shocks the conscience of the nation. As a country, we must keep our pledge to the first guarantee of the Declaration of Independence. That is why we say the unborn child has a fundamental individual right to life which cannot be infringed.
†The portion of the Declaration of Independence to which this clause refers, declares: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men . . . ”
On School Choice and Faith-based Education
The Democrats' Platform
The Republicans' Platform
The Republicans’ version of accountability relies on private school vouchers that would offer too few dollars to too few children to escape their failing schools. These vouchers would pass the buck on accountability while pulling bucks out of the schools that need them most ... Let there be no mistake: what America needs are public schools that compete with one another and are held accountable for results, not private school vouchers that drain resources from public schools and hand over the public’s hard-earned tax dollars to private schools with no accountability.
We believe that every child in this land should have access to a high quality, indeed, a world- class education, and we’re determined to meet that goal ... We endorse the principles ... which will ... assist states in closing the achievement gap and empower needy families to escape persistently failing schools by allowing federal dollars to follow their children to the school of their choice. Expand parental choice and encourage competition by providing parents with information on their child’s school, increasing the number of charter schools, and expanding education savings accounts†† for use from kindergarten through college.
†† An educational savings account allows parents (or friends, grandparents, businesses, etc.) to place up to $2000 per year into an educational savings account that is free from taxation. The account may be used for K-16 educational expenses such as tuition, textbooks, supplies, after-school programs, tutoring, and even home computers.