The Presidential Election Process

Gr 9 Up—These titles set out to demystify some of the complexities of contemporary U.S. politics. In Presidential Election Process, Anderson begins by describing how the election process has evolved from the 18th century until now—covering eligibility requirements, the functions of primaries and caucuses, fund-raising and attention-getting, the general election, and the inauguration. In Modern Democratic Party, Ziff discusses how the party has evolved over the years, and recounts events that spurred a trend of Democratic election losses in the 1970s and 1980s, the rise of the "New Democrats," the setbacks and successes of the 1990s and 2000s, and what the future of the party looks like. The text is dense with statistics, quotes, political terminology, and definitions, but all are presented in a straightforward manner. Occasional color photographs break up the dense text. Both titles contain little to no bias. Even Modern Democratic Party, which focuses on one party, has a clinical, detached approach that does not champion the party. The only wrinkle in an otherwise smooth presentation is the explanation of the electoral college in Presidential Election Process. Anderson explains correctly that the popular vote does not directly determine the winner; however, some aspects are confusing. She writes that in the 2000 election, Al Gore won the popular vote by more than half a million votes. She goes on to say that George W. Bush won the popular vote in 30 states and Gore won the popular vote in 20—making it seem like Bush won the popular vote as well. A works cited list is lacking.