American Political Campaigns and Elections

Catalog description

Campaigns and elections are the mechanisms used to place people into office in American government. Electoral outcomes are the product of rules that govern who can run and participate in voting, the choices made by candidates and their campaigns, and the individual decisions rendered by voters at the ballot box. This course explores each of these items to provide a comprehensive understanding of how campaigns and elections operate in the United States. The topics covered include how candidates are selected and elected, ballot propositions, election laws and administration, how voters choose among candidates, campaign strategies and advertising, campaign fundraising and spending, and proposed reforms to the American election process. Students are introduced to different types of election systems in the United States and in democratic countries around the world. They will discuss alternatives to the election systems currently used in Pennsylvania and in most places in the United States. The electoral college method of selecting a president will be examined in depth. Various laws that either make it easier or more difficult to vote will be addressed. Students will examine some recent examples of the ballot initiative process and discuss its role in democratic governance. A substantial portion of the course will address which political parties various voter groups tend to prefer and why, how party bases have changed in American history, and why parties other than Democrats and Republicans have had limited success in the past century. Key components of campaign strategies and how candidates raise money, as well as famous political advertisements, will be presented.