Rethinking American Electoral Democracy

by Streb; Matthew J.

• ISBN13: 9780415961387
• ISBN10: 0415961386
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2008-02-08
• Publisher: Routledge

Summary

Is the cure for the ills of democracy more democracy? Is it possible to have too much democracy in a well-functioning government? What should a model electoral democracy look like? In this critical examination of the state of American electoral process, Matthew Streb analyzes the major debates that embroil scholars and reformers on subjects ranging from the number of elections we hold and the use of nonpartisan elections, to the presidential nominating process and campaign finance laws. Ultimately, Streb makes an argument for a less burdensome democracy, a democracy in which citizens can participate more easily. This book is designed to get students of elections and American political institutions to think critically about what it means to be democratic and how democratic the United States really is. Part of the Controversies in Electoral Democracy and Representation series, edited by Matthew J. Streb. Matthew J. Streb is Assistant Professor of Political Science at Northern Illinois University. He is the author The New Electoral Politics of Race , and the editor or co-editor of five other books including Running for Judge .

Table of Contents

List of figures and tables	p. x
Preface	p. xi
Acknowledgments	p. xiii
Creating a model electoral democracy	p. 1
Criteria for a model electoral democracy	p. 2
A few comments	p. 5
Overview of the book	p. 6
Rethinking the costs of voting	p. 9
Factors that influence voter turnout	p. 11
"Didn't we just vote?"	p. 11
Other barriers to voting	p. 16
The offices we elect	p. 26
Do we really need to vote for coroner?	p. 27
The case of judicial elections	p. 29
Direct democracy	p. 44
What is the initiative process and how does it work?	p. 45
Some misconceptions about the initiative process	p. 47
Why the public supports the initiative process	p. 54
The problems with the initiative process	p. 57
Some potential reforms	p. 60
Recall elections	p. 61
Rethinking the mechanics of voting	p. 65
Ballot laws	p. 67
Getting on the ballot	p. 67
Candidate information on the ballot	p. 71
The order of candidates' names on the ballot	p. 75
Ballot design	p. 77
Voting machines	p. 80
Different types of voting machines	p. 81
The problem with punch card ballots	p. 82
The pros and cons of the remaining contenders	p. 83
A word on Internet voting	p. 89
So, what's the solution?	p. 92
Rethinking national elections	p. 95
The redistricting process	p. 97
How does the process work?	p. 98
The goals of redistricting	p. 99
What should be the goals of redistricting?	p. 108
What process best achieves the goals of redistricting?	p. 113
Presidential primaries	p. 116
King Caucus and the smoke-filled rooms	p. 117
Reforms to the presidential primary process	p. 118
The Electoral College	p. 133
What is the Electoral College? Why do we have it?	p. 133
Arguments in favor of the Electoral College and why they are flawed	p. 136
The reasons for change	p. 140
Attempts to reform the Electoral College	p. 142
The future of the Electoral College	p. 147
Campaign finance	p. 151
A brief history of campaign finance reform	p. 152
The concerns of campaign finance reformers	p. 157
The favorite solution: publicly financed elections	p. 160
A controversial solution	p. 163
Conclusion: Moving toward a model electoral democracy	p. 171
Revisiting the criteria for a model electoral democracy	p. 171
Other improvements to American electoral democracy	p. 175
The prospects for reform	p. 177
Notes	p. 179
Bibliography	p. 201
Court cases	p. 219
Index	p. 221
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