Mosaiko

More than Elections: How Democracies Transfer Power

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The 1960 presidential election was among the most closely fought in U.S. history. So close that supporters of Vice President Richard M. Nixon urged him to challenge the results. Nixon declined. “Even if we were to win in the end,” he explained, “the cost in world opinion and the effect on democracy in the broadest sense would be detrimental.”

Nixon instead performed his duty as vice president, and officially reported to the Senate the election of John F. Kennedy. “This is the first time in 100 years,” he began, that a candidate for the presidency announced the result of an election in which he was defeated and announced the victory of his opponent. I do not think we could have a more striking example of the stability of our constitutional system and of the proud tradition of the American people of developing, respecting and honoring institutions of self-government. In our campaigns, no matter how hard-fought they may be, no matter how close the election may turn out to be, those who lose accept the verdict and support those who win.”

This month Mosaiko.gr explores how democracies transfer power in accord with the will of the people, expressed through free and fair elections. In the two decades since the Cold War ended, many nations have held elections, but not all are genuine democracies. Sometimes elections are rigged, incumbents enjoy unfair advantages, or — with military support — they overturn the results. But in healthy democracies, as Nixon and his critics understood, citizens expect that elections will be fair and insist that the results be respected, beginning with a peaceful transition of power from one leader to the next.

Additional Resources

Books, articles, Web sites, and films on the peaceful transition of power

Books and Articles

Burke, John P. Presidential Transitions: From Politics to Practice. Boulder, CO: Lynne Rienner Publishers, 2000.

Campbell, Kurt M. Difficult Transitions: Foreign Policy Troubles at the Outset of Presidential Power. Washington, DC: Brookings Institution Press, 2008.

Clinton, W. David, and Daniel G. Lang, eds. What Makes a Successful Transition? Charlottesville, VA: Miller Center of Public Affairs, University of Virginia, 1993.

Corcoran, Paul E. “Presidential Concession Speeches: The Rhetoric of Defeat.” Political Communication, vol. 11, no. 2 (April-June 1994): pp. 109-131.

Goodwin, Doris Kearns. “The Man Who Lost What He Loved.” McCall’s, vol. 120, no. 5 (February 1993): p. 102.

Halchin, L. Elaine. Presidential Transitions: Issues Involving Outgoing and Incoming Administrations. Washington, DC: Congressional Research Service, 2008.
http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/RL34722.pdf

Horwitz, Paul. “Honor’s Constitutional Moment: The Oath and Presidential Transitions.” Northwestern University Law Review, vol. 103, no. 2 (2009): pp. 1067-1081.
http://www.law.northwestern.edu/lawreview/colloquy/2008/47/LRColl2008n47Horwitz.pdf

Huntington, Samuel P. “How Countries Democratize.”Political Science Quarterly, vol. 124, no.1 (Spring 2009): pp. 31-71.

Jones, Charles O., ed. Preparing to Be President: The Memos of Richard E. Neustadt. Washington, DC: AEI Press, 2000.

Kubba, Laith. “Institutions Make the Difference.” Journal of Democracy, vol. 19, no. 3 (June 2008): pp. 37-43.

Kumar, Martha Joynt and Terry Sullivan, eds. The White House World: Transitions, Organization and OfficeOperations. College Station, TX: A and M University Press, 2003.

Larson, Edward J. A Magnificent Catastrophe: The Tumultuous Election of 1800, America’s First Presidential Campaign. New York, NY: Simon and Schuster, 2007.

Linz, Juan J. and Alfred Stepan. Problems of Democratic Transition and Consolidation: Southern Europe, South America, and Post-Communist Europe. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1996.

Pfiffner, James P. The Strategic Presidency: Hitting the Ground Running. Lawrence, KS: University of Kansas Press, 1996.

Sirianni, Carmen. Investing in Democracy: Engaging Citizens in Collaborative Governance. Washington, DC: Brookings Institution Press, 2009.

U.S. Congress. House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. Subcommittee on Government Management, Organization, and Procurement. Passing the Baton: Preparing for the Presidential Transition: Hearing Before the Subcommittee on Government Management, Organization, and Procurement of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, 110th Congress2nd session, September 24, 2008. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, 2009.

Web Sites

Brookings Institution: Governance http://www.brookings.edu/governance.aspx

In-Depth Coverage: Obama’s Transition to Power http://www.pbs.org/newshour/indepth_coverage/white_house/transition2008/

The Presidential Transition http://www.govexec.com/specialreports/transition.htm

Transition: 2008 Presidential Campaign http://www.gwu.edu/~action/2008/chrntran08.html