You Call This an Election?: America's Peculiar Democracy - Hardcover

Schier, Steven E.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0878408959 ISBN 13: 9780878408955

Publisher: Georgetown University Press, 2003

Synopsis

Those who do not have their heads buried too deeply in partisan sands will know that there is something awry with the American form of electoral democracy. Florida's continuing ability to misplace votes recently and in the 2000 Presidential election is only part of the iceberg we have been made privy to-and Steven Schier takes a good, hard, evaluative look not only at what is there in plain sight, but that which lurks below the surface (and not only in Florida and not only with the electoral college). He further proposes practical improvements that will make our surprisingly peculiar democratic processes healthy, whole, and responsive again. Identifying four essential evaluative criteria for a democracy that genuinely works, Schier asks us to examine the degree to which our system promotes political stability, the degree to which our elected officials are held accountable, what the problems are with voter turnout and how to improve it, and asks for a meaningful scrutiny of governmental policy.No look at our peculiar democracy would be complete without an examination of other established democracies, nor a look at how special interests warp political parties and the concept of majority rule. The solution to many of our electoral problems, Schier argues, lies in enhancing the roles and influence of political parties. Schier proposes reforms that include broadening voter registration; giving parties large blocks of free TV time; adopting one-punch partisan ballots, making it easier for voters to cast a straight-party vote; abandoning initiatives which clutter up the ballot; and utilizing party-based financing to boost voter turnout. With these proposals, he encourages the creative consideration of election reform, and shows how the Florida 2000 race may have played out had these suggestions been in place. Schier's book appeals to any and every citizen interested in our electoral system and its role in governmental politics. It is invaluable for professionals in politic

About this title

Product Description:

An introduction to the problems and promises of America's electoral system, Steven E. Schier's book begins with a brief overview of the Florida voting fiasco in the 2000 presidential election. He cogently analyzes where our election politics goes wrong and suggest several steps to make the system better. The manuscript includes numerous examples, anecdotes, and tables, all with the student reader in mind. Schier concludes by proposing an alternative scenario--what if the election reforms he suggests had been in place in Florida in 2000? Schier argues more specifically that the decline of political paties and the concurrent proliferation of interest groups has inhibited majority rule in America. Parties traditionally sought to mobilize large numbes of voters on election day. As parties' abilities to mobilize have decayed, interest groups have enhanced their ability to activate small factions of the public to influence elections and policymaking. Hence we now have more interest groups than ever before in our national politics, but shrinking numbers of voters. What sorts of reforms does he propose? Enhancing the roles and influence of political parties; giving these parties large blocks of free TV time; adopting one-punch partisan ballots, making it easier for voters to cast a straight-party vote; abandon initiatives, which clutter up the ballot; and party-based financing to boost voter turnout.

Review:

An analysis that is once rich and lucid. This book is a keeper, not only as a stimulus to sorting and ranking personal political values, but also as a useful reference work--it is chock full of information. The bibliography is extensive, the text provides easy source and page references, the organization is excellent, and the argument flows smoothly. [Schier's] students must love his classes.

--Political Science Quarterly

About this edition

• Publisher: Georgetown University Press
• Publication date: 2003
• ISBN 10: 0878408959
• ISBN 13: 9780878408955
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 180