Electoral process

Our objectives in drawing together the contributions contained in this book are twofold: (1) to provide a pedagogical vehicle for acquainting students with a great range of substantive and analytical expositions concerning the electoral process; and (2) to provide a platform for communicating examples of the current trends of research in the electoral process to the relevant community of scholars.

To say that the electoral process-especially that facet known as voting behavior-has been thoroughly studied of late is to state a truism. On the other hand, given the high salience of this process in most democratic societies and the fact that elections are ubiquitous and recurring events, it is likely that further research will continue to be valuable. It is our hope that the selections in this book not only indicate the splendid variety of substantive and theoretical returns, but also suggest both common and more esoteric ways in which to produce such returns.