Description
Book SynopsisThis volume, by eminent political scientist John Courtney, assesses the history and development of five “building blocks” of Canada’s electoral regime: the franchise, electoral districts, voter registration, election machinery, and plurality voting.
Trade ReviewOverall, this is a very accessible volume, with well-informed and well-organised discussion of Canada’s democratic strengths and weaknesses. -- Marian Sawer * Australian Canadian Studies, Vol. 22, No. 2, 2004 & Vol. 23, No. 1, 2005 *
The volume is pitched at a level that is accessible and interesting to senior undergraduate students, without compromising analytical sophistication.
Elections should be required reading for students of elections and Canadian political history. -- Livianna Tossutti, Brock University * Canadian Journal of Political Science, December 2005 *
Both as individual books, as well as the state goals of the Canadian Democratic Audit series, the analyses achieve what they set out to do. It is heartening to see that the state of politics is taken seriously, that there are difficult questions asked, systemic weaknesses are pointed out, and that these authors have the capacity to recommend what it is that might work better to develop a more inclusive and participatory democratic system. These books succeed in that they are moving into a territory that has a broad scope in challenging issues and institutions that set the stage for the major political categories of analysis. -- Robert Imre, University of Notre Dame, Australia * Political Studies Review, vol. 4, no 2, May 2006 *
John C. Courtney is the leading scholar on the history, principles, and current practice of elections in Canada. Thus, he is the best choice to analyse the Canadian electoral system for the
Canadian Democratic Audit series ... overall, Courtney’s volume is an even-handed comprehensive overview of the Canadian electoral system ... A great deal has been written about plurality voting, but few are as careful in their analysis as Courtney. -- Henry J. Jacek, McMaster University * The Canadian Historical Review, vol. 87, no.1 *
Table of ContentsFigures and Tables
Foreword
Acknowledgements
Introduction
1 The Rules of the Electoral Game
2 Who Can Vote?
3 From Gerrymandering to Independence: Territorially-Based Districts
4 Registering Voters
5 Electoral Machinery: From Partisanship to Professionalism
6 Representation, Plurality Voting, and Democratic Deficit
7 Auditing Canada’s Electoral Democracy Discussion Questions
Appendix: Three Challenges and Possible Reforms
Glossary
Works Cited
Index
