?PAGE ? ?PAGE ?1? Chapter 9 ? Political Parties seq NL1 \r 0 \h Overview A political party exists in three arenas: Among the voters who psychologically identify with it, as a grassroots organization staffed and led by activists, and as a group of elected officials who seek to act on its ideals. This chapter studies the party primarily as an organization that takes on various forms at the local level. These include the political machine, the ideological party, the solidary group, the sponsored party, and the personal following.