Full slate
Encyclopedia
Any political party
or faction
that seeks to form a majority
in a parliament
or on a board of directors
or other responsible body typically must run a full slate
if only to demonstrate that they have the capacity to attract the talent to fill every position with some person, even if that person is not ideal for the job. Failure to do so is normally taken as a signal of a lack of confidence in the leadership of the faction or party, since it should be possible in a well-run organization to find someone willing to at least run for a job they are not fit to perform, to show solidarity.
Major political parties tend to be able to take a full slate for granted: all the positions they run for, they have some chance of winning, and the party is well-funded, and people can gain contacts and prestige from running for that party. It will likewise have even less of a problem filling its internal roles.
While a minor political party may have little trouble filling its own officer positions or Shadow Cabinet
, these deploying the little power it has, it will likely have much more trouble offering candidates for every legislative position in every electoral district
. The so-called "parachute candidates" who run for election in a district that is not their own home nor where they necessarily have close ties, are always a means to achieve a full slate or close to it. This demonstrates solidarity and allows people to vote for a party but is not typically understood as a serious offering for the person to take the job. It is considered to be a highly questionable practice by most who advocate electoral reform
, in part to get rid of any necessity to engage in such tricks.
In some countries
, states
, province
s or territories, running a full slate seems to be a pre-requisite for media
coverage or participation in a televised leaders' debate
such as the United States presidential election debates
.
In a presidential system
like the United States
there are other nomination rules
, ballot access
and media access issues but being able to run in every U.S. electoral district
and "on the ballot" in every state, is certainly one of the signs of being a "major" party.
Political party
A political party is a political organization that typically seeks to influence government policy, usually by nominating their own candidates and trying to seat them in political office. Parties participate in electoral campaigns, educational outreach or protest actions...
or faction
Political faction
A political faction is a grouping of individuals, such as a political party, a trade union, or other group with a political purpose. A faction or political party may include fragmented sub-factions, “parties within a party," which may be referred to as power blocs, or voting blocs. The individuals...
that seeks to form a majority
Majority
A majority is a subset of a group consisting of more than half of its members. This can be compared to a plurality, which is a subset larger than any other subset; i.e. a plurality is not necessarily a majority as the largest subset may consist of less than half the group's population...
in a parliament
Parliament
A parliament is a legislature, especially in those countries whose system of government is based on the Westminster system modeled after that of the United Kingdom. The name is derived from the French , the action of parler : a parlement is a discussion. The term came to mean a meeting at which...
or on a board of directors
Board of directors
A board of directors is a body of elected or appointed members who jointly oversee the activities of a company or organization. Other names include board of governors, board of managers, board of regents, board of trustees, and board of visitors...
or other responsible body typically must run a full slate
Slate (elections)
A slate is a group of candidates that run in multi-seat or multi-position elections on a common platform.The common platform may be because the candidates are all members of a political party, have the same or similar policies, or some other reason....
if only to demonstrate that they have the capacity to attract the talent to fill every position with some person, even if that person is not ideal for the job. Failure to do so is normally taken as a signal of a lack of confidence in the leadership of the faction or party, since it should be possible in a well-run organization to find someone willing to at least run for a job they are not fit to perform, to show solidarity.
Major political parties tend to be able to take a full slate for granted: all the positions they run for, they have some chance of winning, and the party is well-funded, and people can gain contacts and prestige from running for that party. It will likewise have even less of a problem filling its internal roles.
While a minor political party may have little trouble filling its own officer positions or Shadow Cabinet
Shadow Cabinet
The Shadow Cabinet is a senior group of opposition spokespeople in the Westminster system of government who together under the leadership of the Leader of the Opposition form an alternative cabinet to the government's, whose members shadow or mark each individual member of the government...
, these deploying the little power it has, it will likely have much more trouble offering candidates for every legislative position in every electoral district
Electoral district
An electoral district is a distinct territorial subdivision for holding a separate election for one or more seats in a legislative body...
. The so-called "parachute candidates" who run for election in a district that is not their own home nor where they necessarily have close ties, are always a means to achieve a full slate or close to it. This demonstrates solidarity and allows people to vote for a party but is not typically understood as a serious offering for the person to take the job. It is considered to be a highly questionable practice by most who advocate electoral reform
Electoral reform
Electoral reform is change in electoral systems to improve how public desires are expressed in election results. That can include reforms of:...
, in part to get rid of any necessity to engage in such tricks.
In some countries
Country
A country is a region legally identified as a distinct entity in political geography. A country may be an independent sovereign state or one that is occupied by another state, as a non-sovereign or formerly sovereign political division, or a geographic region associated with a previously...
, states
State (polity)
A state is an organized political community, living under a government. States may be sovereign and may enjoy a monopoly on the legal initiation of force and are not dependent on, or subject to any other power or state. Many states are federated states which participate in a federal union...
, province
Province
A province is a territorial unit, almost always an administrative division, within a country or state.-Etymology:The English word "province" is attested since about 1330 and derives from the 13th-century Old French "province," which itself comes from the Latin word "provincia," which referred to...
s or territories, running a full slate seems to be a pre-requisite for media
Mass media
Mass media refers collectively to all media technologies which are intended to reach a large audience via mass communication. Broadcast media transmit their information electronically and comprise of television, film and radio, movies, CDs, DVDs and some other gadgets like cameras or video consoles...
coverage or participation in a televised leaders' debate
Debate
Debate or debating is a method of interactive and representational argument. Debate is a broader form of argument than logical argument, which only examines consistency from axiom, and factual argument, which only examines what is or isn't the case or rhetoric which is a technique of persuasion...
such as the United States presidential election debates
United States presidential election debates
During presidential elections in the United States, it has become customary for the main candidates to engage in a debate...
.
In a presidential system
Presidential system
A presidential system is a system of government where an executive branch exists and presides separately from the legislature, to which it is not responsible and which cannot, in normal circumstances, dismiss it....
like the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
there are other nomination rules
Nomination rules
Nomination rules in elections regulate the conditions under which a candidate or political party is entitled to stand for election. The criteria to stand as a candidate depends on the individual legal system, however they may include the age of a candidate, citizenship, endorsement by a political...
, ballot access
Ballot access
Ballot access rules, called nomination rules outside the United States, regulate the conditions under which a candidate or political party is either entitled to stand for election or to appear on voters' ballots...
and media access issues but being able to run in every U.S. electoral district
Electoral district
An electoral district is a distinct territorial subdivision for holding a separate election for one or more seats in a legislative body...
and "on the ballot" in every state, is certainly one of the signs of being a "major" party.