First, review the lecture about the structure of the Republican Party in Virginia as an example. Select 1 of the major parties in your state to study. Because this was already discussed in the presentation, do not base your discussion on the Republican Party of Virginia. If you live in Virginia, you may examine the Democratic Party of Virginia or you may adopt another state and study its party structure. For example, a Virginia resident could study the Republican Party of North Dakota or Missouri, or any other state except Virginia.

Second, locate the website for your political party. Use a search engine to find the address. If you are unsuccessful, contact an elected official of that party and ask for help in locating it. Once you have located the party website, determine how much you can learn from it.

Third, collect the information to answer the following questions. What is the structure of the state party? Does the website contain the legal document governing the party similar to the Party Plan of the Republican Party of Virginia? How does the party choose its state officers? How is the party organized locally? How can an interested person become a member of the local party committee? What other types of information are contained in the website? If the website does not have sufficient information, a phone call to a member of the local party can provide this information. You can obtain the names of local party officials from state party headquarters.