Preface | p. xii |
Democratic Elections: What's the Problem? | p. 1 |
Contemporary Election Issues | p. 2 |
The Nature of Democracy | p. 7 |
Types of Democracies | p. 7 |
Elections and Democracy | p. 9 |
Tensions within a Democratic Electoral System | p. 13 |
Summary: Democratic Election Dilemmas in a Nutshell | p. 16 |
Now It's Your Turn | p. 17 |
Notes | p. 20 |
Popular Base of American Electoral Politics: Suffrage and Turnout | p. 23 |
Suffrage in American Elections | p. 24 |
Variations in Voter Turnout | p. 27 |
Influences on Voting | p. 30 |
Consequences of Not Voting | p. 37 |
Possible Solutions to the Nonvoting Problem | p. 42 |
Summary: Suffrage and Turnout Dilemmas in a Nutshell | p. 47 |
Now It's Your Turn | p. 48 |
Notes | p. 51 |
How Representative Are American Elections? | p. 56 |
The Concept of Representation | p. 57 |
The Structure of Elections and the Underrepresentation of Minorities | p. 61 |
American Politics and the Underrepresentation of Women | p. 67 |
The Electoral College System and the Overrepresentation of Large Competitive States | p. 67 |
Public Opinion, Representation, and Policy Outcomes | p. 73 |
Summary: Representational Dilemmas in a Nutshell | p. 80 |
Now It's Your Turn | p. 81 |
Notes | p. 84 |
Has Money Corrupted Our Electoral Process? | p. 88 |
Money and Democratic Elections | p. 89 |
Campaign Finance Legislation and Its Consequences | p. 90 |
Continuing Campaign Finance Issues | p. 98 |
Summary: Campaign Finance Dilemmas in a Nutshell | p. 108 |
Now It's Your Turn | p. 110 |
Notes | p. 112 |
News Media: Watchdog or Pit Bull? | p. 115 |
The Evolution of Election News | p. 117 |
The Adequacy of Contemporary Campaign Coverage | p. 122 |
Public Cynicism about the Media | p. 131 |
What Can Be Done? | p. 134 |
Summary: News Media Dilemmas in a Nutshell | p. 139 |
Now It's Your Turn | p. 140 |
Notes | p. 144 |
Are American Parties Still Representative? | p. 148 |
Parties and American Democracy | p. 149 |
The Evolution of U.S. Political Parties | p. 154 |
Parties, Electoral Representation, and Democratic Governance | p. 163 |
Summary: Partisan Dilemmas in a Nutshell | p. 167 |
Now It's Your Turn | p. 168 |
Notes | p. 171 |
The Nomination Process: Whose Is It Anyway? | p. 173 |
The Movement from an Elite to a More Popular System | p. 174 |
The Democratization of Nominations: Representative or Unrepresentative? | p. 176 |
The Impact of Nominations on Government | p. 183 |
Improving the Nomination System | p. 184 |
National Nominating Conventions: Anachronism or Still Relevant? | p. 189 |
The Incumbency Advantage | p. 192 |
Summary: Nomination Dilemmas in a Nutshell | p. 194 |
Now It's Your Turn | p. 195 |
Notes | p. 197 |
Campaign Communications: How Much Do They Matter? | p. 200 |
Campaign Communications and Democratic Elections | p. 201 |
Campaign Imagery | p. 207 |
Communication Distortions | p. 209 |
The New Technology of Polling, Targeting, and Messaging: Better Communication or More Effective Manipulation? | p. 215 |
Campaigning on the Internet | p. 217 |
Summary: Campaign Communication Dilemmas in a Nutshell | p. 218 |
Now It's Your Turn | p. 222 |
Notes | p. 225 |
Elections and Government: A Tenuous Connection | p. 229 |
Who Governs? | p. 230 |
The Relationship between Campaigning and Governing | p. 233 |
The Election and Public Policy | p. 238 |
Policy and Performance: Responsiveness and Accountability | p. 249 |
Summary: Elections and Government Dilemmas in a Nutshell | p. 252 |
Now It's Your Turn | p. 254 |
Notes | p. 256 |
Index | p. 258 |
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