The American electoral process has been criticized on several points. This paper addresses some, though not all, of the ways in which the American political process has been criticized. Starting with campaign finance and whether expensive advertising exerts an influence on the outcome of elections out of proportion to its importance, I discuss the difficulty faced by potential candidates in getting their names on ballots when they are not the candidate being promoted by either the Democrats or Republicans. I then address whether the idea of plurality in national elections is a rational one and conclude with a discussion of the Electoral College and whether its presence and influence in the outcome of the presidential race runs contrary to the expressed democratic spirit of the United States.

             First, there is the issue of campaign finance. Essentially, the uncomfortable question is this: is the American system set up to reward victory to the candidates with the best ideas, or to the candidates with the most connections and most luxuriously funded political campaigns? If the answer to this is anything other than "victory goes to those with the best ideas" then there is a serious problem.

             The role that campaign advertising plays in affecting the outcome of elections is not a trivial issue. When Democrat and Republican candidates "duke it out" in front of the country with boxing gloves made from expensive television and radio ads and over-the-top road shows, how can "Joe Candidate" get his message heard with his shoe-string budget? Maybe he has the solution to all of our problems, maybe not; but the level of advertising "noise" generated by candidates for the two largest American political parties drowns out everything else. .

             The money squandered on advertising and public relations in election years is incredible, and the sources of the money itself have come under fire.