Political Parties Government policy is made by elected officials who are members of political parties. In the United States most elected officials are members of either the Democratic or Republican party, though occasionally members of smaller parties are also elected. Political parties are organizations that wish to achieve control of the process of government. They differ from interest groups that only want to have an influence on government policy through lobbying or education of the public A party gains control of government by getting more of its candidates elected to office than its opposition parties do. In Great Britain, for example, m