UC Riverside

This study focuses on changes in the electoral system in presidential democracies and examines presidential involvement in such changes and the resulting outcomes. As presidents need legislative support to advance their agenda, they are incentivized to shape the electoral systems used for legislative elections in favor of their parties. I argue that the president’s political resources and context—presidential powers, forms of government, and public support—affect the process and outcomes of electoral reform. Specifically, I examine whether the reform is influenced by presidential power and, second, if the reform does happen, what kinds of reforms occur and how they are shaped by the political context, such as the forms of government or public support. The existing literature concentrates on parliamentary system reforms and suggests reforms are primarily driven by parties. While parties are likely to be significant players in presidential systems, an executive who doesn't rely on the legislature's confidence represents an additional independent actor who wields crucial political powers. In fact, presidents can leverage their vetoes, decrees, and the right to call a referendum to achieve desired reforms while countering competing reforms favorable to the opposition. If the parties acknowledge the president's possession of these political means to engage in electoral reform, they may align more with the president's agenda. This power asymmetry can influence the probability and trajectory of electoral reform. However, this is not always the case if there is a minority situation that is not conducive to the president's influence or if public disapproval toward the president is high. This is the very reason why the power resources that the president has and the political context that those lie in should be considered simultaneously. The study of electoral reform is especially relevant today. The slide toward more autocratic forms of government these days was not suddenly caused by force but rather by subtle and incremental institutional reforms. This study places electoral reform within the context of democratic development and helps us understand a process that has undermined democracy.