Fair Elections?

Political Science > Election and Campaigns
Political Science > Non-U.S.
Political Science > U.S.

Fair Elections?

A look at the procedures for voter registration and appropriate conduct on election day in Canada, Mexico and the United States.

3,309 words () | 13 sources | MLA | 2008 United States

Paper Summary:

The paper discusses how a democracy should weigh each vote equally, make the electoral process accessible to everyone, ensure that the legislative assembly accurately represents the will of the people, have cost-effective elections with no electoral fraud and allow people to feel secure when they cast their ballot. The paper then examines Canada, Mexico and the United States and considers to what extent each country has elections that provide a safe, ethical, well-administered and equitable electoral system. The paper looks at the remedies which can be applied in each nation to improve the current situation for future generations. The paper shows how Mexico in particular must do a better job of entrenching the rule of law as a staple of its political culture.

From the Paper:

"At this juncture, it is appropriate to offer a brief contextual overview of the three countries' political systems inasmuch as, to the extent they are all rather similar and democratic, there is no reason why they cannot each develop an equitable and fair system for Election Day proceedings; in other words, Mexico is more like Canada than some people might suppose. Most notably, beyond also having a federal bicameral structure like Canada (and the United States) Mexico has shown a willingness to become more accommodating to a diversity of views in its representative assemblies (Schedler, 20-30). Unfortunately, the historic terrain of Mexican politics has been rough when it comes to meaningful reform and to the long-term sustainability of that reform (Schedler, 10; for a litany of "false starts" vis-a-vis reforming the Mexican democratic process, please see "Popular Choice and Electoral Politics," 125-126) and, lacking a tradition of fair voting representation (and a tradition of opposing ballot box fraud and coercion) its future as a democracy is uncertain."

Sample of Sources Used:

Bybee, Keith J. Mistaken Identity: the Supreme Court and the Politics of Minority Representation. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1998. Questia database. 18 Feb. 2007 <http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=102938590>
"Elections and the Electoral System." Pp.267-291. (Additional bibliographic information not provided).
Fife, Brian L., and Geralyn M. Miller. Political Cultures and Voting Systems in the United States: An Examination of the 2000 Presidential Election. Westport, CT: Praeger, 2002. Questia database. 18 Feb. 2007 <http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=106835693>
Jenkins, Richard W. Untangling the Politics of Electoral Boundaries in Canada, 1993-1997. American Review of Canadian Studies, 28.4 (1998): 517+. Questia database. 18 Feb. 2007 <http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=5002300420>
Keyssar, Alexander. The Right to Vote: the Contested History of Democracy in the United States. New York: Basic Books. Questia database. 18 Feb. 2007 <http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=30531338>