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Electoral Politics

Module description

In this module, you will learn about elections and electoral systems. Elections serve as the key mechanism in democracies that link those who govern with those who are governed. To better understand this link, you will learn about the following topics: how electoral systems affect political outcomes; how voters feel about political reforms; competing models that help explain how voters make their decisions; the recruitment of political candidates; the role of campaigns, advertising, and money in elections; and how to boost voter turnout and other forms of political participation.

Module aims - intentions of the module

Voting is the cornerstone of democracy. Candidates and parties offer competing views of how government should function and what policies should be enacted, and then voters get to choose between these competing visions. Yet, this process of turning voter preferences into political outcomes is not always straightforward. This module aims to:

• Improve understanding of how electoral politics and electoral process shape outcomes such as who gets elected and how governments form.
• Examine how the “fundamentals” such as economic performance affect candidate performance.
• Assess whether or not campaigns have a significant effect on election outcomes (i.e., how much do campaigns actually influence decisions of whether or not to vote, or who to vote for).
• Examine the role of media and advertising in elections (including the role of new and social media).
• Appreciate different and competing theories of voting behaviour.
• Understand the process for recruiting candidates to run for office, with a particular focus on who is encouraged/recruited to run.
• Examine interventions that increase voter turnout and other forms of political participation.
• Promote improved critical thinking to analyse news events and issues related to elections in the UK and abroad.
• Promote understanding of the definition and use of predictive social science models.
• Improve your ability to critically analyse texts and to communicate effectively.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

ILO: Module-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 1. Demonstrate knowledge of electoral politics processes and institutions, and how these differ across different national contexts
• 2. Appreciate the role of voters, campaigns, candidates, media, and context play in affecting electoral outcomes

ILO: Discipline-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 3. Explain in a critical way how institutions and preferences combine to produce outcomes
• 4. Demonstrate understanding of the definition and use of predictive social science models

ILO: Personal and key skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 5. Demonstrate critical thinking skills, particularly as they relate to evaluating empirical (quantitative) evidence;
• 6. Demonstrate the ability to work independently within a limited time frame to complete a specified task
• 7. Demonstrate writing skills and/or other presentation skills to facilitate more powerful communication

Syllabus plan

Whilst the module’s precise content may vary from year to year, it is envisaged that the syllabus will cover some or all of the following topics:

-How the “fundamentals” (such as economic performance and how long the incumbent party has been in power) help explain election outcomes

-How electoral rules shape electoral outcomes (e.g., “Duverger’s Law” in first past the post single member district system versus proportional representation systems)

-Whether or not campaigns have an effect on election outcomes/the effect of campaign activities on

-Competing theories of voting behaviour

-The role that scandal plays in affecting the electoral prospects of parties and candidates

Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)

Details of learning activities and teaching methods

Formative assessment

Summative assessment (% of credit)

Details of summative assessment

Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)

Re-assessment notes

Deferral – if you miss an assessment for certificated reasons judged acceptable by the Mitigation Committee, you will normally be either deferred in the assessment or an extension may be granted. The mark given for a re-assessment taken as a result of deferral will not be capped and will be treated as it would be if it were your first attempt at the assessment.

Referral – if you have failed the module overall (i.e. a final overall module mark of less than 40%) you will be required to submit a further assessment as necessary. If you are successful on referral, your overall module mark will be capped at 40%.

Indicative learning resources - Basic reading

Van der Eijk, Cees, and Mark Franklin. Elections and voters. Macmillan International Higher Education, 2009.

Cox, Gary W. Making votes count: strategic coordination in the world's electoral systems. Cambridge University Press, 1997.

Aldrich, John H., Jamie L. Carson, Brad T. Gomez, and David W. Rohde. Change and Continuity in the 2016 and 2018 Elections. CQ Press, 2019.

Sides, John, Chris Tausanovitch, and Lynn Vavreck. The Bitter End: The 2020 Presidential Campaign and the Challenge to American Democracy. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2022.

Key words search

Politics, Elections, Electoral, Voting; Campaigns