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Meaningful Participation and the Evolution of the Reformed Presidential Nominating System

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  08 January 2009

Lonna Rae Atkeson  and
Cherie D. Maestas
Lonna Rae Atkeson
Affiliation:
University of New Mexico
Cherie D. Maestas
Affiliation:
Florida State University
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Extract

Forty years ago, violent protests at the Democratic National Convention captured the attention of the nation as rioters vented their anger over a nomination process they felt excluded their voices. The disastrous 1968 convention spawned a cascade of reforms in the presidential nomination system, many of which were intended to create greater opportunity for meaningful participation of the party's rank-and-file members. Forty years later, where do we stand? Does the nomination process meet the goals of encouraging broad participation and connecting rank-and-file preferences to nomination outcomes? We offer some tentative answers to these questions by tracing the history of the nomination process, its evolution over the last 40 years, and the implications of several key changes in the system for citizen participation.

Type
Symposium
Information
PS: Political Science & Politics , Volume 42 , Issue 1 , January 2009 , pp. 59 - 64
Copyright
Copyright © American Political Science Association 2009

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