Campaigns, Elections, and the Threat to Democracy

What Everyone Needs to Know®

Dennis W. Johnson (Autor)

Buch | Softcover

272 Seiten

2023 | 2nd Revised edition
Oxford University Press Inc (Verlag)
978-0-19-764198-9 (ISBN)

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Frequent and fair elections, open to all, are fundamental elements of a democracy. The United States, through its local, state, and national contests, holds more elections, more often, than any other democracy in the world. But in recent years, there have been troubling signs that our system of campaigns and elections has become much more fragile and vulnerable. More specifically, in the past twenty years, campaigns have changed profoundly: social media and viral messaging compete with traditional media, races once considered local in nature have become nationalized, Supreme Court decisions on campaign finance law now encourage mega-donors, voters are more polarized, party affiliation has waned, and the middle ideological ground has given way to extremist language and voter rage. Twice in sixteen years we have seen winning presidential candidates gaining fewer popular votes than their opponents. The fundamental right of every citizen to vote has been impeded by state legislatures demanding tighter access, more identification, and accusations of voter fraud. And we have faced the real threat of foreign influence in our national elections.

This new edition of Campaigns, Elections, and the Threat to Democracy: What Everyone Needs to Know® offers the most up-to-date examination of campaigns, elections, and future threats to voting and democracy. It addresses the 2020 US presidential election, the "Stop the Steal" movement, election interference and cyber threats to voting, voting by mail (and the backlash against it), voting reforms and ranked-choice voting, and the Supreme Court 2019 ruling on gerrymandering. It will also include new data on voter participation, voter fraud, reapportionment post-2020 census, party polarization, campaign finance, and more.

Given the fragility of our election process, what are the threats to a healthy American democracy? Do the candidates with the most money always win? This is not simply a book on how campaigns are run, but why campaigns and elections are integral components of American democracy and how those fundamental elements may be vulnerable to misuse.

Dennis W. Johnson is Professor Emeritus and former Associate Dean at the George Washington University Graduate School of Political Management. He is also one of the country's foremost experts on campaigns and political consultants, and has written widely on campaigns and elections. Previously, Johnson spent a decade as a political consultant and served as a chief of staff for a member of Congress. He is the author of Democracy for Hire: A History of American Political Consulting.

Preface to the Second Edition: Why You Need to Know About Campaigns, Elections, and the Threat to Democracy
Acknowledgments

1. Voting and Participation
2. Carving Out Legislative Districts
3. Political Parties and Elections
4. Statewide, Local, and Congressional Elections
5. Presidential Elections
6. The 2020 Presidential Election
7. The Big Lie and its Aftermath
8. Money, Mega-Donors, and Wide-Open Spending
9. Inner Workings of Modern Campaigns
10. Direct Democracy--Ballot Campaigns
11. How Campaigns Have Changed
12. Threats to Democracy

Notes
Further Reading
Index

Erscheinungsdatum	23.09.2022
Reihe/Serie	WHAT EVERYONE NEEDS TO KNOW
Verlagsort	New York
Sprache	englisch
Maße	210 x 139 mm
Gewicht	295 g
Themenwelt	Sozialwissenschaften ► Politik / Verwaltung ► Staat / Verwaltung
Themenwelt	Sozialwissenschaften ► Politik / Verwaltung ► Vergleichende Politikwissenschaften
ISBN-10	0-19-764198-9 / 0197641989
ISBN-13	978-0-19-764198-9 / 9780197641989
Zustand	Neuware