Politics 278 - U.S. Elections

Elections have been at the core of both the vitality and fragility of American democracy. Free and responsive government is hard to imagine without elections, yet U.S. elections suffer from low turnout, increasing polarization, invisible money, gender inequality, partisan gerrymandering, and new forms of voter disenfranchisement. This course offers an overview of American elections by placing them in historical and comparative perspective. We will look at how the institutions that structure the electoral process developed, how they differ from those in other democratic countries, and how they shape the behavior of candidates, voters, and activists, and influence the policymaking process.

Prereq: POLIT-104.