1. Have you chosen a political party? If so, how has your parents’ party identification affected your choice of party? Is there a strong relationship between their party choices and your own? According to your religious affiliation, race, gender, residence, and social class, which party would you be expected to belong to? If you were to leave the party of your parents, would you go to the opposite party or become an independent? Why?

2. In the past, critics have frequently charged that there are very few differences between the two major parties. Is that true today?

3. Should voters support a third party that has no chance of winning? Or should they vote for the major party candidate they dislike less? How might one reconcile his or her decision to support a third-party candidate in our two party system?

4.  Which groups voted for Democrats and which for Republicans in 2008? Did this represent change or continuity in terms of past elections?

5.  In what ways have American parties become weaker and/or stronger? What are the advantages and disadvantages to a system characterized by weak political parties?