The Limits of Electoral Reform

The Limits of Electoral Reform
Author: Shaun Bowler
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Total Pages: 173
Release: 2013-03-28
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 0199695407

The Limits of Electoral Reform examines a variety of reforms, including campaign finance, direct democracy, legislative term limits, and changes to the electoral system itself. This study finds electoral reforms have limited, and in many cases, no effects. The findings here suggest there are hard limits to effects of electoral reform.

Helping America Vote

Helping America Vote
Author: Martha E. Kropf
Publisher:
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2012
Genre: Election law
ISBN: 9780415804073

"Helping America Vote is an excellent entry for the Controversies series. The authors' emphasis on `the change you make depends on how you perceive the problem' is a very good one; it not only gives a focus to the book, but by itself it will be a lesson to students who read it."---Richard Niemi, University of Rochester --

Electoral College Reform

Electoral College Reform
Author: Thomas H. Neale
Publisher: DIANE Publishing
Total Pages: 34
Release: 2010-11
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1437925693

Contents: (1) Intro.; (2) Competing Approaches: Direct Popular Election v. Electoral College Reform; (3) Direct Popular Election: Pro and Con; (4) Electoral College Reform: Pro and Con; (5) Electoral College Amendments Proposed in the 111th Congress; (6) Contemporary Activity in the States; (7) 2004: Colorado Amendment 36; (8) 2007-2008: The Presidential Reform Act (California Counts); (9) 2006-Present: National Popular Vote -- Direct Popular Election Through an Interstate Compact; Origins; The Plan; National Popular Vote, Inc.; Action in the State Legislatures; States That Have Approved NPV; National Popular Vote; (10) Prospects for Change -- An Analysis; (11) State Action -- A Viable Reform Alternative?; (12) Concluding Observations.

Rethinking US Election Law

Rethinking US Election Law
Author: Steven Mulroy
Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing
Total Pages: 176
Release:
Genre: Election law
ISBN: 1788117514

Recent U.S. elections have defied nationwide majority preference at the White House, Senate, and House levels. This work of interdisciplinary scholarship explains how “winner-take-all” and single-member district elections make this happen, and what can be done to repair the system. Proposed reforms include the National Popular Vote interstate compact (presidential elections); eliminating the Senate filibuster; and proportional representation using Ranked Choice Voting for House, state, and local elections.

The Fallacy of Campaign Finance Reform

The Fallacy of Campaign Finance Reform
Author: John Samples
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
Total Pages: 391
Release: 2008-09-15
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 0226734633

At first glance, campaign finance reform looks like a good idea. McCain-Feingold, for instance, regulates campaigns by prohibiting national political parties from accepting soft money contributions from corporations, labor unions, and wealthy individuals. But are such measures, or any of the numerous and similarly restrictive proposals that have circulated through Washington in recent years, really good for our democracy? John Samples says no, and here he takes a penetrating look into the premises and consequences of the long crusade against big money in politics. How many Americans, he asks, know that there is little to no evidence that campaign contributions really influence members of Congress? Or that so-called negative political advertising actually improves the democratic process by increasing voter turnout and knowledge? Or that limits on campaign contributions make it harder to run for office, thereby protecting incumbent representatives from losing their seats of power? Posing tough questions such as these, Samples uncovers numerous fallacies beneath proposals for campaign finance reform. He argues that our most common concerns about money in politics are misplaced because the ideals implicit in our notion of corruption are incoherent or indefensible. The chance to regulate money in politics allows representatives to serve their own interests at a cost to their constituents. And, ironically, this long crusade against the corruption caused by campaign contributions allows public officials to reduce their vulnerability by suppressing electoral competition. Defying long-held ssumptions and conventional political wisdom, The Fallacy of Campaign Finance Reform is a provocative and decidedly nonpartisan work that will be essential for anyone concerned about the future of American government.

Term Limits and Their Consequences

Term Limits and Their Consequences
Author: Stanley M. Caress
Publisher: State University of New York Press
Total Pages: 208
Release: 2012-09-07
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1438443064

Legislative term limits remain a controversial feature of the American political landscape. Term Limits and Their Consequences provides a clear, comprehensive, and nonpartisan look at all aspects of this contentious subject. Stanley M. Caress and Todd T. Kunioka trace the emergence of the grassroots movement that supported term limits and explain why the idea of term limits became popular with voters. At the same time, they put term limits into a broader historical context, illustrating how they are one of many examples of the public's desire to reform government. Utilizing an impressive blend of quantitative data and interviews, Caress and Kunioka thoughtfully discuss the impact of term limits, focusing in particular on the nation's largest state, California. They scrutinize voting data to determine if term limits have altered election outcomes or the electoral chances of women and minority candidates, and reveal how restricting a legislator's time in office has changed political careers and ambitions. Designed to transform American politics, term limits did indeed bring change, but in ways ranging far beyond those anticipated by both their advocates and detractors.

The Oxford Handbook of Electoral Systems

The Oxford Handbook of Electoral Systems
Author: Erik S. Herron
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Total Pages: 1017
Release: 2018-03-15
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 0190258675

No subject is more central to the study of politics than elections. All across the globe, elections are a focal point for citizens, the media, and politicians long before--and sometimes long after--they occur. Electoral systems, the rules about how voters' preferences are translated into election results, profoundly shape the results not only of individual elections but also of many other important political outcomes, including party systems, candidate selection, and policy choices. Electoral systems have been a hot topic in established democracies from the UK and Italy to New Zealand and Japan. Even in the United States, events like the 2016 presidential election and court decisions such as Citizens United have sparked advocates to promote change in the Electoral College, redistricting, and campaign-finance rules. Elections and electoral systems have also intensified as a field of academic study, with groundbreaking work over the past decade sharpening our understanding of how electoral systems fundamentally shape the connections among citizens, government, and policy. This volume provides an in-depth exploration of the origins and effects of electoral systems.

Term Limits and Legislative Representation

Term Limits and Legislative Representation
Author: John M. Carey
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 236
Release: 1998-10-13
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 9780521646017

This book tests the central arguments made by both supporters and opponents of legislative term limits.

Small Change

Small Change
Author: Raymond J. La Raja
Publisher: University of Michigan Press
Total Pages: 308
Release: 2008-03-05
Genre: History
ISBN: 9780472050284

All democracies face the dilemma of how to pay for politics. Money fuels the campaigns that inform and mobilize voters. But private political contributions raise the specter of undue influence, or, worse, political corruption. This book reviews the history of America's efforts at federal campaign finance reform.

Limits and Loopholes

Limits and Loopholes
Author: Victoria A. Farrar-Myers
Publisher: CQ Press
Total Pages: 211
Release: 2007-10-14
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1483371204

From the authors of Legislative Labyrinth: Congress and Campaign Finance Reform. Elections, the basic mechanism of representative democracy, should be untainted by corruption and provide a platform for free speech. But running for office takes money—a lot of it, usually—which means campaign finance has become a pitched battle over the fundamental political values of free speech versus fair elections. With insiders′ perspectives, Farrar-Myers and Dwyre tell the story of what it took to pass campaign finance legislation, provide analysis of the subsequent court action, and explore the regulatory and electoral outcomes of reform efforts. Limits and Loopholes is a story about incremental policymaking and inter-branch struggle, about institutional design and unintended consequences, about the influence of interest groups and the media, and about the health of our representative democracy. Bringing together discussions of core values and the policymaking process, this book serves as an excellent case study that traces an issue from inception, through legislation and litigation, and finally to implementation.