Rules Matter

This text on election administration and election law discusses the basic framework that governs electoral institutions in the United States. The book unpacks the right to vote, the candidates, districting and gerrymandering, parties and primaries, the Electoral College, campaign finance, and ballot counts and recounts. Each chapter provides a breakdown of rules and procedures in the states, relevant case law, as well as contemporary scholarship in political science, which helps tell us why these rules matter. From the nuts and bolts of apportionment formulas, to the legal reasoning behind court cases, to behavioral research on voter turnout, this book introduces advanced undergraduate or graduate students to the growing body of scholarship on election administration and how our electoral rules matter.