We examined the role of political parties as a linkage institution connecting citizens to public policy. I defined the term "political party" and distinguished a political party from an interest group. We then focused on some of the functions of political parties: educate voters. persuade voters , and encourage participation in elections. We examined how political parties accomplish these objectives as well as the role of parties in raising money and recruiting candidates. Given the extreme polarization of the electorate, we examined how strong party identification can inform voters of a candidate's position on certain controversial issues such as : abortion , immigration ,same sex marriage, and universal health care. I last reviewed the due date status of current assignments to make sure Matthew had no concerns or questions about the assigned work.