According to the authors, do elections matter? Why or why not?

What will be an ideal response?

Ultimately, the authors argue that they do matter and they offer several reason why, all of which responses should address. First, elections achieve electoral stability, meaning that because politicians must stand for re-election they are constantly concerned with the consequences of their actions. This gives incumbents the incentive to keep things running properly. Elections also matter because it matters who wins. In a world in which the parties stand on opposite sides on many issues, scholars have noted a direct relationship between national elections and the policies that are subsequently enacted. There is a considerable amount of evidence that supports the fact that elections are crucial to bringing about a certain degree of policy congruence between the electorate and what policymakers ultimately do. Finally, the authors point out that elections give mediated citizens points around which to rally. Elections provide a structure for citizen activity, and the interconnectedness of the mediated age provides citizens more opportunities than ever to take advantage of those activities if they so choose.