More Parties or No Parties: The Politics of Electoral Reform in America

Americans want electoral reforms to have more choice in elections, with 20-50% open to a new system. Jack Santucci's book "More Parties or No Parties" explores the origins and performance of proportional representation in US cities, the reasons for repeal, and the implications for current reform movements. He argues that electoral reform is likely in periods of party-system instability, with politicians and allied interest groups motivated to get or keep control of government. The book answers questions about why reforms were adopted, how they worked in practice, why they were repealed, and why only ranked-choice was considered.

Format: Hardback
Length: 304 pages
Publication date: 14 November 2022
Publisher: Oxford University Press Inc

Americans are clamoring for electoral reforms to increase their options in elections. Recent surveys indicate that 20 to 50 percent of Americans are receptive to a new electoral system, while demand for a third party has gradually increased since Gallup first posed the question in 2003. More Americans now identify as independent than as members of either of the major parties, but what happens when Americans attempt to reform their way out of a two-party system? So far, the demand for reform has found support in a push for ranked-choice voting. In More Parties or No Parties, Jack Santucci explores the origins, performance, and repeal of proportional representation in US cities, the reasons behind it in all but one case, and the implications of this history for current reform movements in US cities, states, and at the national level. In a two-party system, reform necessitates appealing to the group that wants to get the parties out of politics (or, in modern terms, to reduce polarization). This often results in ostensibly nonpartisan reform packages, but party-like formations inevitably emerge, as voters and governments require organization. However, such reform is not stable and has tended to make voting more difficult for ordinary people. Introducing a new shifting-coalitions theory, Santucci argues that electoral reform is likely during periods of party-system instability. The players, according to this theory, are politicians and allied interest groups motivated to gain or retain control of government. Reform can be used to insulate a coalition, dislodge a coalition in power, or deal with noncommittal centrists. The theory also sheds light on why reform occurs, illuminates the shapes that reforms take, and suggests what it might take for a government to reform itself. The book utilizes roll-call, election, and other archival data to support its arguments.

Weight: 504g
Dimension: 164 x 242 x 24 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780197630655