Elections in America

Michael C. LeMay, PhD, is Professor Emeritus of Political Science at California State University-San Bernardino, USA.

• Preface1. Background and HistoryIntroduction: Determinants of the Great Diversity of U.S. Elections– ElectionsConstitutional Provisions Regarding Elections in AmericaElections at the National Level– Origins of the Two-Party System– Competing to Replace the Whigs– From Reconstruction to the Progressive Era– Great Depression Ushers in New Political Era– Voting Reforms amid Political ChangeElections at the State Level– State GovernorshipsElections at the Local LevelExpansion of the Franchise by Law, Practice, and Court Decisions– Expansion of the Franchise in America's First 100 Years– Triumphs and Setbacks in Voting Rights since the Civil WarTypes of ElectionsWaning Parties and Rising Interest Groups in American ElectionsBibliography2. Problems, Controversies, and SolutionsIntroductionWho Gets to Vote?Hyperpartisan TribalismGerrymandering of Electoral DistrictsCampaign Costs and Election Finance ReformRecruitment of CandidatesFacets of Political CulturePolitical Participation and ReligionNew Political CultureMedia and Elections– Politically Motivated News Source Preferences and BeliefsInterest Groups and ElectionsThe Impact of FederalismThe Mechanics of ElectionsBibliography3. PerspectivesIntroductionEquality and Constitutional Electoral Reform: Problems and Prospects, Ken BedellIs Colorado a One-Party State?, Tom Cronin and Bob LoevyThoughts on the 2020 Election, Sara HagedornColorado's Election System: A National Model, Beth HendrixVoter Suppression and the Exclusion of American Citizenship, Adam LeThe Kornacki Effect: Vote Count Framing in a Pandemic Year, Kimberly NalderSocial Justice Protests and the 2020 Presidential Election, August H. NimtzIndigenous Voters Helped Swing the 2020 Election, Anna V. SmithLatinx Voting Behavior: Key Insights from Recent Presidential Elections, José D. Villalobos4. ProfilesIntroductionOrganizations– ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union)– ActBlue– AFL-CIO Workers' Voices PAC– American Bridge 21st Century– Americans for Prosperity– American Heritage Society– Brennan Center for Justice– Center for American Progress (CAP)– Club for Growth– Constitution Center– Democratic National Committee (DNC)– Emily's List– Federalist Society (FS)– Federal Election Commission (FEC)– Green Party of the United States (GPUS)– League of Women Voters (LWV)– Lincoln Project– Make America Great Again (MAGA) PAC/Save America PAC– NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People)– National Conference of State Legislatures– National Democratic Redistricting Committee– National Rifle Association (NRA)– Pew Research Center– Priorities USA– Republican National Committee (RNC)– U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ)– U.S. Elections Assistance Commission (EAC)– WinRedPeople– Becker, David– Bush, George W.– Clarke, Kristen– Elazar, Daniel– Feingold, Russ– Harrison, Jaime– Hill, Erin– Holder, Eric– Koch, David– Limbaugh, Rush– McCain, John– McDaniel, Ronna– Nader, Ralph– Obama, Barack– Reagan, Ronald– Rehnquist, William– Richards, Cecile– Roberts, John– Roosevelt, Franklin D.– Sanders, Bernie– Schumer, Charles– Stein, Jill– Trump, Donald– Turner, Deborah Ann– Van Buren, Martin– Warren, EarlBibliography5. Data and DocumentsIntroductionData– Table 5.1: States Ranked by Date of Entrance to the Union– Table 5.2: State Election Officials by State– Table 5.3: States with Multiple Election Officials– Table 5.4: Types of Primary Elections Used in the American States– Table 5.5: Political Party Percentage from 2020 Exit Polls (ABC News)– Table 5.6: Six U.S. Supreme Court Cases Involving the 10th and 14th Amendments– Table 5.7: Major Civil Rights Acts Passed by the U.S. Congress, 1866–1993– Table 5.8: Exemplary Powerful Super PACs– Table 5.9: The Cost of U.S. Elections, 1998–2020– Table 5.10: Supreme Court Cases Impacting Gerrymandering– Table 5.11: Campaign Finance Laws and Supreme Court Decisions Timeline– Table 5.12: States Ranked by Percent VEP Turnout Rate, 2020 U.S. Election– Table 5.13: States Ranked by the Cook Partisan Voting Index (CPVI), 2020– Table 5.14: Electoral College Vote (ECV) by State, 2020– Table 5.15: Party Identification, Annual Averages, 2010–2020– Table 5.16: Most Popular News Platforms for Government and Politics, November 2020Documents– Doc. 5.1: Census Clause of the U.S. Constitution, Article I, Section 2, Clause 3– Doc. 5.2: The Hatch Act– Doc. 5.3: The McCarran-Walter Act– Doc. 5.4: The Voting Rights Act of 1965– Doc. 5.5: The Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971– Doc. 5.6: The Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002– Doc. 5.7: Reynolds v. Sims, 377 U.S. 533, 1964– Doc. 5.8: Excerpts of the Case Summary in Bush v. Gore, 2000– Doc. 5.9: FEC v. Wisconsin Right to Life, Inc., 2007– Doc. 5.10: Citizens United v. FEC, 2010– Doc. 5.11: McCutcheon v. FEC, 2014– Doc. 5.12: Rucho v. Common Cause, 2019, Justice Kagan's Dissenting Opinion6. ResourcesIntroductionBooksLeading Scholarly JournalsWebsitesDocumentaries7. ChronologyGlossaryIndex