Additional information
by Dennis W. Johnson (Author)
Frequent and fair elections, open to all, are fundamental elements of a democracy. The United States, through its local, state, and national contests, holds more elections, more often, than any other democracy in the world. But in recent years, there have been troubling signs that our system of campaigns and elections has become much more fragile and vulnerable. More specifically, in the past twenty years, campaigns have changed profoundly: social media and viral messaging compete with traditional media, races once considered local in nature have become nationalized, Supreme Court decisions on campaign finance law now encourage mega-donors, voters are more polarized, party affiliation has waned, and the middle ideological ground has given way to extremist language and voter rage. Twice in sixteen years we have seen winning presidential candidates gaining fewer popular votes than their opponents. The fundamental right of every citizen to vote has been impeded by state legislatures
demanding tighter access, more identification, and accusations of voter fraud. And we have faced the real threat of foreign influence in our national elections.
Author Biography
Dennis W. Johnson is Professor Emeritus and former Associate Dean at the George Washington University Graduate School of Political Management. He is also one of the country's foremost experts on campaigns and political consultants, and has written widely on campaigns and elections. Previously, Johnson spent a decade as a political consultant and served as a chief of staff for a member of Congress. He is the author of Democracy for Hire: A History of American Political Consulting.
