1. Democratic elections : what's the problem?
Contemporary election issues
The nature of democracy
Types of democracies
Elections and democracy
Tensions within a democratic electoral system
Summary : democratic election dilemmas in a nutshell
2. The popular base of American electoral politics : suffrage and turnout
The expansion of suffrage
The decline in turnout
The consequences of not voting
Potential solutions to the nonvoting problem
Summary : suffrage and turnout dilemmas in a nutshell
3. How representative are American elections?
The concept of representation
The structure of elections and the underrepresentation of minorities
The electoral college system and the overrepresentation of large states
American politics and the underrepresentation of women
Consequences of representational bias
Legal qualifications and democratic outcomes
Summary : representational dilemmas in a nutshell
4. Are political parties still relevant?
Parties and American democracy
The evolution of U.S. political parties
Parties and the electorate : the waning of partisanship
Parties and electoral choice : an echo or a schism?
Parties and government : is collective accountability possible?
Parties and the political system
Summary : partisan dilemmas in a nutshell
5. Has money corrupted our electoral process?
Money and democratic elections
Money and politics : an overview of congress's attempts to regulate campaign finance
Costs, contributions, and consequences
The political debate over campaign finance reform
Proposals for reform
Summary : campaign finance dilemmas in a nutshell
6. News media : watchdog or pit bull?
Media-driven democratic elections : "that's the way it is"
The evolution of election news
The adequacy of contemporary campaign coverage
Public cynicism about the media
What can be done?
Summary : news media dilemmas in a nutshell
7. The nomination process : whose is it anyway?
The movement from an elite to a more popular system
The democratization of nominations : representative or unrepresentative?
The impact of nominations on government
Improving the nomination system
National nominating conventions : anachronism or still relevant?
The incumbency advantage
Summary : nomination dilemmas in a nutshell
8. Campaign communications : how much do they matter?
Why campaigns are necessary : the need to be informed
The information game : finding the right balance
Campaign imagery
Communication distortions
The new technology : better communication or more effective manipulation?
Summary : campaign communications dilemmas in a nutshell
9. Elections and government : a tenuous connection
Who governs : the compatibility of the winners
The relationship between campaigning and governing
The election and public policy
Policy and performance : responsiveness and accountability
Summary : elections and government dilemmas in a nutshell.