This is Kenneth Janda, returning to talk about Chapter 9, "Nominations, Elections, and Campaigns." There are a lot of trees in this forest--in the sense of a lot of facts. Before trying to identify the trees, you should understand the nature of the forest--that is, understand the unique nature of the American electoral system.

The most important fact is that the U.S. electoral system is very complex and that American voters carry the heaviest burden of voters in any democracy. The chapter compares voting in the United States and Canada to illustrate how different casting a ballot is in both countries. Be sure you grasp the differences.

Then consider the fact that unlike most other countries, the U.S., asks citizens to vote twice in each election cycle: once to nominate candidates in primary elections and again to elect officials in general elections. Learn the difference between "open" and "closed" primaries and pay special attention to the huge differences in nominating presidential candidates before and after 1968.

Because presidents are chosen by the Electoral College rather than by the popular vote of citizens, presidential elections are uniquely complex. If you don't understand how the Electoral College operates, you should after reading this chapter. If you are like most Americans, you don't like the Electoral College, but you should consider the various arguments presented in its defense.

The chapter discusses how election campaigns are financed and conducted. To help make sense of the details on campaign financing, pay special attention to three things: (1) the 1974 Supreme Court decision that limited government regulation on campaign spending (what was the Court's argument?); (2) the existing limitations on campaign contributions (not spending) that took effect in 2004; and (3) the law governing public funding of presidential election campaigns. Why do some presidential candidates decline taking millions of free public dollars when campaigning for the office?

Concerning the conduct of election campaigns, understand when campaigns are apt to follow a party-centered strategy, an issue-oriented strategy, or a candidate-centered strategy.

The chapter also explains the dynamics of voter choice using three factors: party identification, campaign issues, and candidate attributes. You might think that party identification no longer counts for much. Check it out its importance in today's elections.

Chapter 9 concludes by asking how well campaigns, elections, and political parties fulfill the models of majoritarian and pluralist democracy. You should be able to discuss this after your reading.