END OF THE PRIMARY SEASON The last primaries prior to the 2002 midterm election were held on Saturday, September 21. On that day, Hawaii voters nominated two women to run for governor, Democratic Lt. Governor Mazie Hirono and Republican former Maui Mayor Linda Lingle, who had been her party's unsuccessful 1998 nominee. Thus, for the first time in history, in November Hawaii will elect a female governor. The end of the primary season seems a good time to recommence this series of commentaries on the electoral process. In these articles I hope to raise issues about the electoral process that should become apparent as one watches elections unfold. On the one hand, a textbook on political parties and elections that ignores politics certainly would not serve students very well. So the commentaries on this Web site will relate ideas raised in the text to the election that is unfolding. But, on the other hand, a political scientists who simply played the role of political journalist would not aid students very much either. What is it one can learn about ongoing elections from studying theoretical questions about the process? These commentaries will attempt to apply the theoretical material to the ongoing elections. As I begin this second round of commentaries, I am thinking back on the very useful interchanges I had with many of my faculty colleagues during the 2000 election. What they emphasized over and over was the extent to which their students became involved in dialogues and discussion groups as a result of reading these articles. That is certainly one of the goals I have set for myself. We had hoped to mount a discussion group for students from various campuses to exchange ideas on the topics I raise each week, but technologically we could not do so. I invite you to do so on your own campuses; please let me know how these groups are going and what you think of the articles. Feedback is always welcomed. So let's begin by setting the stage for the elections that are just five weeks away. Americans will go to the polls in large numbers on November 5, the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November. But the numbers will not be all that large. Despite the fact that all members of the House of Representatives, one-third of the Senate, 36 governors, and legislators in one or both houses in 46 states will be elected on that day, fewer than 40% of Americans of voting age will turn out to vote. At the very least, we need to know why that is. Let's look at some factors that affect turnout. Election day is the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November. Why? Well it has always been that way, right? Wrong. States determine when their elections will be held. Check the Constitution. The phrase "As Maine goes, so goes the nation" came from a time when Maine cast its presidential vote months ahead of the other states; of course, when only Maine and Vermont favored Alf Landon over Franklin Delano Roosevelt in 1936, the phrase changed to "As Maine goes, so goes Vermont!" And all of the states do now conform to the date set for federal elections, though there are still wide variations in the means states choose to carry out those elections. Before we look at some of those variations, let's be sure we understand the implication of our Election Day. It is not a federal holiday; it is not a weekend day on which many people would not have to work. It is right in the middle of the normal work week, and at least some people claim they do not vote because it is hard to get to the polls when one has to work, chase the kids around, and do the normal chores of daily life. Would more people vote if Election Day were on a Sunday? The French think so; their Election Day is on a Sunday for just that reason. Would more people vote if Election Day were a holiday? No agreement emerges on this. Some say that a day off focusing on an election would increase awareness and turnout. Others say people would use the excuse for a three-day weekend, and turnout would decline. Still others say it is irrelevant, because the financial cost to the nation of another holiday would not be worth any additional votes cast. What do you think? How would you test your hunch-which we political scientists would call a hypothesis? What about the state-by-state variations? Do you know the laws in your own state? In your own community? The 2000 election made us all aware of the existence of different kinds of voting machines-some easier to use, some harder; some more susceptible to failure, some less; some more susceptible to fraud, some less. Communities and states vary not only in the types of machines used (or whether machines have replaced paper ballots), but also in the hours that voting booths are open, in the ease or difficulty in casting ballots outside of those voting times and in different places (either absentee ballots or ballots cast in the community at other times and/or places), in the number of polling places for specified populations, in the format of the ballot, and in a number of other ways. Ask around your class. See what differences emerge. Congress passed the so-called Motor Voter Act to ease voter registration laws nearly a decade ago. As the text tells you, it was highly controversial, in partisan terms. What effect has it had? How does one know? More than a decade ago, the state of Oregon began experimenting with mail ballots for certain elections; Recently Oregon has begun to use mail ballots for all elections. They have seen dramatic increases in turnout. Why don't other states follow suit? Isn't one very basic question whether or not increased turnout is good? As many of you know, a number of other democracies have compulsory voting. We do not. Should we? What values would be served if every citizen were required to vote? What would be lost? Let's look at turnout in one more way. How many of your classmates are going to vote in November? What distinguishes those who will vote from those who will not? How far your campus is from their homes? Their academic major? What else? What is being done to increase turnout among college students? What else could be done? Would it have any impact? Maybe people don't vote because they do not care who wins the election? Think about your own state. Do you know who the candidates are? Can you distinguish among them? On what grounds? But you are all in a class on parties and elections. Do you think your friends who are English or Biology majors would know as much as you do, even if you don't think you know very much? What would make them care? Let me give one key point. A switch of six seats from the Republicans to the Democrats would change control of the House of Representatives and have a clear impact on President Bush's chances of passing legislation important to him. A switch of only one seat from the Democrats to the Republicans in the Senate would change partisan control of that body-to President Bush's advantage. Think about those elections. Next time we will look at the elections for control of the House.