While not formally one of the national political institutions, political parties today are nonetheless major players in both national and state politics. They have long provided what may be considered quasi-governmental services, including candidate recruitment, the operation of political campaigns, and the supervision of the voting process. As with the federal bureaucracy, political parties are important extra-constitutional political institutions that have been essentially grafted onto our separation of powers system. The ambiguity surrounding the proper institutional role that parties should conceptually play in American politics has posed vexing problems for the courts in balancing party independence with government supervision. In order to ascertain the role that political parties should play within our political system, it is useful to see them as informal parts of the larger system of separation of powers. If parties are seen as part of this larger system, then it follows that they are entitled to a certain amount of judicial protection to ensure their integrity and independence. Under this interpretation, the courts should bear some responsibility for preserving the separateness of political parties in the same way as the judiciary ensures that the powers of the formal branches of the government do not unduly infringe upon one another. If parties are seen as performing some governmental functions, then it follows that they should be entitled to some independence in the conduct of these functions. If parties are to check government power, then some of their activities must lie beyond direct government control. —Robert C. Wington, "American Political Parties Under the First Amendment," 1999
What is unique about political parties compared to special interest groups that reinforces the author's argument that they deserve special protection from the courts? (4 points)
A. They support candidates running for office.
B. They function as informal auxiliary members of the federal bureaucracy.
C. They seek to participate in government through elections.
D. They seek to play an advisory role, controlling government through recommendations and information.