?PAGE ? Krisa Cassidy American political parties are the oldest in the world, dating back to the first decade of the republic. They may be in decline, but they are not dead or dying. II. Parties?Here and Abroad SEQ NLA \r 0 \h seq NL1 \r 0 \h Decentralization SEQ NL1 \r 0 \h seq NL_a \r 0 \h A political party is a group that seeks to elect candidates to public office by supplying them with a label (party identification) by which they are known to the electorate. seq NL_a \r 0 \h Arenas of politics in which parties exist: SEQ NL_a \r 0 \h The party exists as a seq NL_1_ \r 0 \h label in the minds of the voters; as an seq NL_1_ \r 0 \h organization?recruiting and campaigning for candidates; and