Is This Any Way to Run a Democratic Election?: Debating American Electoral Politics - Softcover

Wayne, Stephen J.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0618214232 ISBN 13: 9780618214235

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin College Div, 2002

Synopsis

Written by well known presidency scholar, Stephen Wayne, this brief text offers an overview of major issues concerning electoral politics and suggests ways to close the gap between democratic theory and political practice. Key topics include political participation, the role of money, the importance of political parties, and the role of the media. Updated discussion includes controversies that arose from the 2000 Presidential election, such as voter turnout, representational bias, voting irregularities, the role of special interest groups, soft money and the campaign finance reform debate, and the impact of the Internet.

• Each chapter begins with a Did You Know That...? vignette of facts related to the chapter topic that provide a background for students.
• Each chapter contains discussion questions and topics for debate to encourage student reflection.
• Two internet exercises have been added to each chapter.

About this title

About the Author:

Stephen J. Wayne is a well known author and lecturer on the American presidency. A professor of government at Georgetown University since 1988 and a Washington-based insider for almost 40 years, Wayne has written or edited 11 books, many in multiple editions, authored over 100 articles, chapters, and reviews that have appeared in professional journals, scholarly compilations, newspapers, and magazines. At Georgetown, Wayne teaches courses in the area of American government, specializing on the presidency, and psychology and politics.

Professor Wayne is frequently quoted by White House journalists, regularly appears on television and radio news shows. He lectures widely at home and aboard to international visitors, college students, federal executives, and business leaders. He has testified before Congress on the subject of presidential elections and governance and before Democratic and Republican Party advisory committees on the presidential nomination processes. He served as a consultant on presidential staffing in the United States and abroad and participated in transition projects for the National Academy of Public Administration and the Presidency Research Group.

Review:

A provocative survey of the major facets of campaigns, elections, and governing. Wayne raises important questions, sifts through the evidence, and confronts readers with well-reasoned arguments about political parties, representation, participation, campaign finance, and the media. Students find this an engaging work that conveys knowledge and an appreciation of controversy, an approach that stimulates critical thinking. --- Harold Stanley, Southern Methodist University

Stephen J. Wayne's text is topical and informative. It addresses fundamental questions about the electoral process and our representative formula succinctly and with substantive research. Each chapter begins with a litany of facts that nurture debate, and each chapter summary remains concise. The text is compact yet feels comprehensive. I have had students cite information verbatim from this text and use this to analyze other work in the field. It is a worthwhile introduction to many critical questions, and it remains open-ended just enough to allow debate to flourish. --- Lance Denning, Metropolitan State College of Denver

Wayne's Is This Any Way to Run a Democratic Election? is not just an insightful text regarding elections in the United States, but it also provides intriguing arguments that promote increased class discussion. My students found the text very engaging, and I found that it forced them to think critically about the strengths and weaknesses of our current electoral system. --- Jewerl Maxwell, Cedarville University

About this edition

• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin College Div
• Publication date: 2002
• ISBN 10: 0618214232
• ISBN 13: 9780618214235
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 2