ABSTRACT

’Why do we vote in schools?’ ’What is the social meaning of secret balloting?’ ’What is lost if we vote by mail or computers rather than on election day?’ ’What is the history and role of drinking and wagering in elections?’ ’How does the electoral cycle generate the theatre of election night and inaugurations?’ Elections are key public events - in a secular society the only real coming together of the social whole. Their rituals and rhythms run deep. Yet their conduct is invariably examined in instrumental ways, as if they were merely competitive games or liberal apparatus. Focusing on the political cultures and laws of the UK, the US and Australia, this book offers an historicised and generalised account of the intersection of electoral systems and the concepts of ritual, rhythm and the everyday, which form the basis of how we experience elections. As a novel contribution to the theory of the law of elections, this book will be of interest to researchers, students, administrators and policy makers in both politics and law.

chapter |12 pages

Reflections on Elections

chapter |22 pages

Rhythms

The When of the Electoral Cycle

chapter |14 pages

Convenience Voting

Deconstructing Election Day?

chapter |26 pages

Electoral Choice

The Who and Why of Voting

chapter |16 pages

The How of Voting

chapter |22 pages

The Where of Voting

chapter |12 pages

Election Entertainments I

Alcohol

chapter |14 pages

Election Entertainments II

Wagering

chapter |16 pages

The Climax

Election Night and the Count

chapter |14 pages

The Aftermath

Challenges and Inaugurations

chapter |12 pages

Conclusion

Ritual and Electoral Health