Why Vote?: Essential Questions About the Future of Elections in America - Hardcover

Shea, Daniel M.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 113861789X ISBN 13: 9781138617896

Publisher: Routledge, 2019

Synopsis

For nearly 200 years, Americans have pinned the democratic character of their system on elections. In many ways, we have become an election-crazed nation, ever-hoping that the next grand contest or the next great candidate will save the day. But tectonic shifts abound – changes that are distorting the nature of the process. From the rise of fear-centered partisanship, new limits on voter access to the polls, the omnipotence of social media, declining standards of objectivity, Russian interference, the reemergence of the partisan press, the growing weight of elites and more, elections – our "grand democratic feasts" – are transforming before our eyes. We’ve reached a precarious intersection, and it is no stretch to say the future of the republic is at stake.

Written by one of the nation’s leading parties and elections scholars, Why Vote? Essential Questions About the Future of Elections in America explores a range of topics. Each chapter is set by a guiding question, and concludes with a novel, often surprising argument. Who or what is to blame for the rise of rabid, hate-centered polarization? Can a third party really save our system? Should we even try to limit money in campaigns? Do elections stifle other, more potent forms of engagement? Who’s to blame for the growing number of voter access restrictions? Might attitudes toward immigration and race form a "unified theory" of voter coalitions?

This lively, accessible book is sure to inspire robust discussion and debate. The election process in the United States is coming apart at the seams, and Why Vote? tees up a new way of thinking about the future. This book will be of particular interest to students and scholars of US politics and elections, and to general interest readers.

About this title

About the Author

Daniel M. Shea is Professor of Government at Colby College. He received a MA in Campaign Management from the University of West Florida in 1988, and a doctorate from the University at Albany, State University of New York in 1993.

Review

"Why Vote? is an impressive book, thoughtfully delivering on its promise to address essential questions about the future of elections in America – as well as to cover the present and past of American elections comprehensively. It is well written and lively; both students and their teachers will find it appealing."

Paul A. Beck, Academy Professor of Political Science, The Ohio State University

"Shea provides a provocative look at elections and whether they can be reformed to sustain democracy for future generations of American citizens. Offering no quick fix, he encourages students to face current challenges to the electoral process head on as they seek their own solutions."

J. Cherie Strachan, Central Michigan University

"Shea has assembled a rich, thoughtful and accessible volume that uses both historical and social science perspectives to evaluate recent developments in the US electoral arena. The book is eye-opening and thought-provoking."

Costas Panagopoulos, Professor, Department of Political Science; Director, Big Data and Quantitative Methods Initiatives, Northeastern University

"In this book, Dan Shea provides a critical and lively assessment of many challenges facing electoral democracy in the United States."

David Kimball, University of Missouri–St. Louis

 

Edition details

• Publisher: Routledge
• Publication date: 2019
• ISBN 10: 113861789X
• ISBN 13: 9781138617896
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 258