Competitive Elections and the American Voter

Keena Lipsitz is Associate Professor of Political Science and Director of Internships at Queens College, City University of New York.

• List of IllustrationsChapter 1. IntroductionChapter 2. Democratic Theory and the Campaign Information EnvironmentChapter 3. Electoral Competitiveness and the Campaign Information EnvironmentChapter 4. Competitiveness and Campaign Knowledge in Congressional ElectionsChapter 5. Competitiveness and Campaign Knowledge in a Presidential ElectionChapter 6. Competitiveness and Political ParticipationChapter 7. Improving Electoral Competitiveness Through ReformEpilogue: Why Voters Are Not Excited by American CampaignsAppendixNotesBibliographyIndexAcknowledgments

"This book is required reading for anyone interested in the consequences of competitive elections, including those few of us who remain skeptical of their benefits." (American Review of Politics) "Competitive Elections and the American Voter offers a compelling argument for competitive elections and a careful examination of competition and television advertising in American elections. It continues a dialogue with other scholars, such as Tom Brunell and Justin Buchler, who argue that competitive congressional elections are counterproductive for American democracy. Game on." (Political Science Quarterly) "Competitive Elections and the American Voter is what political science scholarship should be: a masterful blend of theory, institutional and individual level considerations, rigorous empirical analyses, and insightful interpretation. The result is a compelling case for making elections more-but not too much more-competitive and, in doing so, improving both the quality of the information environment during campaigns and the quality of voters' participation in the electoral process." (Michael X. Delli Carpini, University of Pennsylvania) "Competitive Elections and the American Voter addresses a topic of major importance not only to political scientists, but also to political professionals, pundits, journalists, and the public as a whole. Lipsitz does a very good job at discussing various reform proposals and providing empirical data to evaluate them. This book will be widely noticed and offer a real contribution to the study of American politics." (Markus Prior, Princeton University)