Introduction
Elections are complicated. Around the world, people vote for presidents, prime ministers, judges, senators, parliamentarians, commissioners, reeves, mayors, and, on occasion, dog catchers. Some elections require multiple rounds of voting, and others, such as India, require weeks to cast and count ballots. Despite the apparent complexity, elections are everywhere. In many ways, voting reflects a fundamental part of social organization. People vote for anything and everything: choosing a restaurant for dinner, selecting a league MVP, choosing a best picture, determining who will chair a committee, and crowning champions of TV shows like Dancing With the Stars. Voting is often a default for decision-making.
In 2024, over half of the world’s population participated in some type of election (Johnson, 2023). Some of those elections chose new national leaders who will have far-reaching consequences for both domestic and international audiences. Others were equally consequential but far less participatory. Authoritarian regimes like Russia conduct sham elections where the outcome is predetermined. Many incumbents were defeated, while some were reelected. Others, still, appeared to lose an election only to remain in power through the threat or exercise of military power. This resource will attempt to lend some clarity to the complex world of elections.
Understanding Political Science
This is a Political Science resource, but there is no expectation that readers already possess an in-depth understanding of the subject matter. An Advanced Political Science education is not required. At a minimum, it helps to have a familiarity with civics and a basic grasp of how governments work. Throughout this resource, concepts will be explained and terms will be defined in a manner that aims to enhance your understanding of elections. Consequently, before we jump into our exploration of elections, this section will provide a brief overview of some important terms that will appear throughout the book.
Politics
Political science is simply the study of politics, but what is politics? It’s a term we hear often, and there are different ways of understanding its meaning. One classic definition of politics comes from Political Scientist Harold Lasswell, who defines politics as “who gets what, when, and how” (Lasswell, 1950). Another definition from Mike Munger (2015) describes politics as a system of choosing in groups, where two criteria are met: 1) everyone agrees on the rules, and 2) people agree to abide by the result. Both definitions capture the essence of politics: it is a process for making collective decisions in groups.
Voting in Different Political Systems
Voting is a common mechanism for making decisions in groups. In a democracy, the political system is organized around the principle of mass participation – the idea that ‘the people’ have some kind of input in determining the outcome. In democratic political systems, political parties and candidates are free to compete for power and convince the public that their vision for governing is preferable. In this system, the people will elect the rulers who, ostensibly, rule in the interests of the people. Elections happen at regular intervals to ensure that leaders are held accountable for their actions. Ineffective rulers can be voted out, while competent leaders can be reelected.
Conversely, a dictatorship is characterized by a ruler or group that does not abide by the will of the people. Rather, a leader or party may rule – often by force – without any mechanism of democratic accountability. Political parties may be illegal, and opposition candidates might be jailed for speaking against the government.
Studying Elections
Ultimately, this resource is about elections. “An election is a formal decision-making process in which groups determine which individuals will hold public office” (Rom et al., 2022, para. 1). While the definition seems simple enough, there are a number of important decisions that precede the administration of an election:
- Who can vote?
- How many candidates are there?
- When does voting happen?
- Who counts the votes?
- How is the winner determined?
Those are just a few of the questions that will be addressed in this book.
Organization of the Book
The goal of this text is to help clarify the complex world of elections. Different systems will be compared with the hope of helping to understand how elections work around the world. Part 1: Parts of an Election will examine the different parts of an election, including ballots, the electoral districts, and the right to vote. We will also examine the different electoral systems that translate citizen votes into some type of (ideally) representative government. Next, Part 2: The Election Process examines the mechanics of casting votes, counting them, and reporting the results to the public. Finally, in Part 3: Performance, we will consider how to assess the effectiveness of elections, in addition to exploring threats to electoral integrity. By the end of this book, you will (hopefully) develop an understanding of the various pieces of electoral machinery that are at work before, during, and after you cast a vote.
