The adoption of the secret ballot and anti-fusion laws in the nineteenth century
Recall your reading of Peter Argersinger’s chapters on the adoption of the secret ballot and anti-fusion laws in the nineteenth century, and the class discussion of the Progressive Reforms. At the end of the Australian ballot chapter Argersinger critically assesses these reforms concluding “What ballot laws really accomplished was the expansion of the role of the state in the political process, and that expansion, in turn, permitted politicians in power to use state authority to promote self-serving conditions of order.”
What evidence does Argersinger bring to this assessment? Is his assessment too harsh? Why or why not? Your essay should reflect a close reading of these chapters and a nuanced understanding of the assets and liabilities of deeper government involvement in the practice of elections.
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