Suchergebnisse

An assembly & analysis of election returns & related data from several large cities; a general description of the pol'al system of these cities is given, & the effect of the systems on electoral competition is assessed. There seems to be no single or compound indicator of electoral competition equally meaningful for all O's & all electoral systems, but `closeness' & `incumbency', despite their limitations, seem the best for the purpose. Ceteris paribus, electoral systems have some effect on competition - as evidenced in Kansas City & Cincinnati; however, such factors as nat'l party preferences, the pattern of local interests & local pol'al traditions appear to outweight that effect. One can note that non-partisan elections & incumbency often foster pluralistic pot of immobilism; also that party preference is at least as important an influence on electoral competition as is party org, though variations in org appear to be of great importance for other characteristics of city gov. IPSA.

At regular intervals in the United States political parties conduct campaigns, the purpose of which is to elect their chosen candidates to public office. Each party seeks political power, guided in this pursuit by a complex set of election laws which spell out in detail the rights and duties of the parties. The electoral process is the mechanism by which power is maintained within a party or transferred to a competing party. The legitimate right of one party to take power from another when the people so elect is enforced. The ideal image of the American political system in action reflects two parties struggling to maximize the interests of their constituents in the hope of maximizing votes in the next election. Out of this struggle the rights of the people are preserved.