Proportional Representation and the Future of the American Party System

Authors

  • Douglas J. Amy

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15763/issn.2374-7781.1995.16.0.371-383

Abstract

Few laws have had a more direct impact on American political parties than the requirement that elections be conducted in single-member districts, with the winner being the candidate with the plurality of the vote. This common electoral arrangement has played a significant role in determining the structure of the United States party system and in shaping the behavior of our parties. It is also an arrangement that has largely been taken for granted by most citizens and political scientists.

References

Amy, Douglas J. 1993. Real Choices /New Voices: The Case for Proportional Representation Elections in the United States. New York: Columbia University Press.

Bogdanor, Vemon. 1984. What is Proportional Representation? Oxford: Martin Robertson.

Duverger, Maurice. 1951. Les Partis Politiques. Paris: La Seuil.

Guinier, Lani. 1994. The Tyranny of the Majority: Fundamental Fairness in Representative Democracy. New York: Free Press.

Katz, Richard S. 1980. A Theory o f Parties and Electoral Systems. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press.

Lijphart, Arend. 1991. Constitutional Choices for New Democracies. Journal o f Democracy 2:30-39. http://dx.doi.org/10.1353/jod.1991.0011

_______ . 1984. Democracies: Patterns o f Majoritarian and Consensus Government in Twenty-One Countries. New Haven: Yale University Press.

Lowry, Rich. 1995 Party Crashers. National Review (10 July):24-25.

Quinn, Jack, Donald Simon, and Jonathan B. Sallet. 1991. Redrawing Political Maps: An American of Groups? The Washington Post, 24 March, Cl.

Raspberry, William. 1995. The Balkanization of America. The Washington Post, 7 July, Op-Ed page.

USA Today. 1995. A Route to Fairer Voting: Let Go of the Status Quo, USA Today, 30 June, 12A.

Winger, Richard. 1995a. November 1994 State Senate Vote for Third Parties. Ballot Access News 10, No. 13 (9 March):5.

Winger, Richard. 1995b. Dems, Reps Failed to Nominate in '94. Ballot Access News 11, No. 3 (1 June):5.

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Published

1996-01-01

Issue

Vol. 16: Winter 1995

Section

Articles

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