Political+Machines+(2-5)

How did they work?- Political machines were developed early in the 19th century. They consisted of three elements; a county committee which governed the machine, a group of ward and precinct leaders who organize support at a neighborhood level, and party loyalist who supported the machine with votes and financial support in return for benefits. The county committee had control over party nominations and almost total control over the money and votes needed to win an election. This allowed them to have influence with elected government officials such as mayors and judges. Party machines were effective in getting immigrants to vote, when they did they would get jobs in social services as a reward. Today you don’t often hear the term Political Machine. Our politics are centered around the Republican and Democratic parties.

2 Group 5