The Contemporary Presidency: The Presidential Election of 2000: A Great Civics Lesson?

Abstract

As the 2000 postelection period wore on, media commentators began to refer to it as a great civics lesson. Unfortunately, too much of the commentary focused on the dramatic story unfolding in Florida and the voting systems used by some Florida communities. More important, the 2000 election provides an opportunity to relearn some old lessons about elections and serves to remind us that elections are not simply exercises in preference ordering but responses to an electoral environment defined by state and local jurisdictions. Issues of ballot design, the voting mechanisms used, and the efforts to make voting more convenient are questions of great political importance–questions that cannot be solved by technological fixes alone. Reform is needed, but reform efforts must to be guided by a better understanding of how voters actually relate to the voting process.