This book provides a full-length examination of the political theories and principles and democratic values underlying current election law debates and the regulation of political campaigns and participants in the United States. Topics covered range from campaign finance reform, voting rights, reapportionment and ballot access to the rights of political parties, the media and other players in the system. The study challenges much of the current debate in election law and argues for more discussion and development of a democratic political theory to support and guide election law jurisprudence.

David Schultz is a professor in the Hamline University Department of Political Science, where he teaches classes in public administration and state and local government. He also holds an appointment at the University of Minnesota Law School, where he teaches election law, state constitutional law, and legal ethics.

Acknowledgments; Introduction: Why Theory?; Chapter 1 Theory: The Missing Piece in Election Law Scholarship and Adjudication; Chapter 2 Democratic Theory and American Politics; Chapter 3 Voting Rights; Chapter 4 Minority Rights and the Failure of Direct Democracy; Chapter 5 Representation and Reapportionment; Chapter 6 Political Parties; Chapter 7 Money, Politics, and Campaign Financing; Conclusion: Toward a Democratic Theory of Election Law;