Encyclopedia of U.S. Campaigns, Elections, and Electoral Behavior (PDF)

"Overall, a first-rate resource, and yes, pleasantly readable."
—School Library Journal


The Encyclopedia of U.S. Campaigns, Elections, and Electoral Behavior covers virtually everything one would want to know about American political campaigns. With more than 450 entries, these two comprehensive volumes present a significant array topics of campaigns, elections, and electoral behavior. The encyclopedia's diverse content shows that although the subject matter of campaigns, elections, and electoral behavior is inherently related, each topic has a distinct focus.

Key Features

• Presents topics in a straightforward, easy-to-understand manner, intentionally avoiding unnecessary technical language


• Includes entries written by electoral behavior scholars from around the country


• Focuses on American campaigns, elections, and electoral behavior but also provides a culturally and politically diverse perspective of American democratic practices and institutions


• Offers a rich campaign history by looking at many colorful candidates, corrupt yet intriguing political machines, rapidly changing technologies, campaign organizations, and strategies


• Provides a description and scholarly analysis for all presidential elections, including state and general elections


• Presents and simplifies complicated election laws that govern federal, state, and local elections


• Examines various efforts throughout the decades to reform elections, especially from social upheaval and the resulting political realignments


• Includes extensive electoral research into the development of political opinions, attitudes, and ideologies in American voters

Key Themes

• Ballot Issue Campaigns


• Campaigns, Elections and the Law


• Corruption in American Campaigns and Elections


• Electoral Behavior of Various Groups


• Local Campaigns and Elections


• Media's Role in American Campaigns and Elections


• People


• Political Parties, Interest Groups, and American Campaigns and Elections


• Political Theory and Democratic Elections in America


• Polls, Public Opinion, and Campaigns and Elections


• Presidential Campaigns and Elections


• Reforming American Campaigns and Elections


• Running Political Campaigns: Management, Organization, and Strategies


• Social and Psychological Dynamics of Electoral Behavior


• State and Congressional Campaigns and Elections: History and State Profiles

The Encyclopedia of U.S. Campaigns, Elections, and Electoral Behavior is an especially useful reference, published to coincide with the 2008 presidential election. This informative yet intriguing resource is a welcome addition to any academic or public library.