Is this any way to run a democratic election? : debating American electoral politics

Wayne, Stephen J. (Author).

Record details

ISBN: 0395954347
ISBN: 9780395954348
Physical Description: print
xii, 210 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm
Publisher: Boston, Mass. : Houghton Mifflin Co., 2001.

Content descriptions

Bibliography, etc. Note:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Formatted Contents Note:

1. Democratic elections : what's the problem? -- Contemporary election issues -- The nature of democracy -- Types of democracies -- Elections and democracy -- Tensions within a democratic electoral system -- Summary : democratic election dilemmas in a nutshell -- 2. The popular base of American electoral politics : suffrage and turnout -- The expansion of suffrage -- The decline in turnout -- The consequences of not voting -- Potential solutions to the nonvoting problem -- Summary : suffrage and turnout dilemmas in a nutshell -- 3. How representative are American elections? -- The concept of representation -- The structure of elections and the underrepresentation of minorities -- The electoral college system and the overrepresentation of large states -- American politics and the underrepresentation of women -- Consequences of representational bias -- Legal qualifications and democratic outcomes -- Summary : representational dilemmas in a nutshell -- 4. Are political parties still relevant? -- Parties and American democracy -- The evolution of U.S. political parties -- Parties and the electorate : the waning of partisanship -- Parties and electoral choice : an echo or a schism? -- Parties and government : is collective accountability possible? -- Parties and the political system -- Summary : partisan dilemmas in a nutshell -- 5. Has money corrupted our electoral process? -- Money and democratic elections -- Money and politics : an overview of congress's attempts to regulate campaign finance -- Costs, contributions, and consequences -- The political debate over campaign finance reform -- Proposals for reform -- Summary : campaign finance dilemmas in a nutshell -- 6. News media : watchdog or pit bull? -- Media-driven democratic elections : "that's the way it is" -- The evolution of election news -- The adequacy of contemporary campaign coverage -- Public cynicism about the media -- What can be done? -- Summary : news media dilemmas in a nutshell -- 7. The nomination process : whose is it anyway? -- The movement from an elite to a more popular system -- The democratization of nominations : representative or unrepresentative? -- The impact of nominations on government -- Improving the nomination system -- National nominating conventions : anachronism or still relevant? -- The incumbency advantage -- Summary : nomination dilemmas in a nutshell -- 8. Campaign communications : how much do they matter? -- Why campaigns are necessary : the need to be informed -- The information game : finding the right balance -- Campaign imagery -- Communication distortions -- The new technology : better communication or more effective manipulation? -- Summary : campaign communications dilemmas in a nutshell -- 9. Elections and government : a tenuous connection -- Who governs : the compatibility of the winners -- The relationship between campaigning and governing -- The election and public policy -- Policy and performance : responsiveness and accountability -- Summary : elections and government dilemmas in a nutshell.