High-Tech Grass Roots: The Professionalization of Local Elections

By J. Cherie Strachan and Cherie J. Strachan

Book Overview

Election campaigns in small and mid-sized electoral districts have been run from the grass roots from the beginning of the republic. Yard signs, door-to-door canvassing, and soap-box oratory have characterized state and local elections for years, and many predict their persistence into the 21st century. This book looks at new trends in small-town politics, tracking the infiltration of sophisticated communications technology, the use of political consultants, and the increase in fundraising and campaign expenditures. Original surveys, interviews, and in-depth case studies lead the author to conclude that the new tactics are with us to stay, but that their potentially negative effects-rising campaign budgets and diminished citizen participation-may be mitigated by creative approaches to reform.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0742517667
• ISBN13: 9780742517660
• Release Date: December 2002
• Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
• Length: 256 Pages
• Weight: 0.52 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 6.0" x 9.1"