How do the elements of the political campaign that candidates consider crucial—television commercials, debates, print and broadcast news coverage—affect elections? Do they energize and inform prospective voters, or distract and alienate them? How are campaign activities shaped by electoral laws and institutions, such as those governing campaign finance?
On the day after the first presidential debate, a panel of experts convened by the Governance Studies Program at the Brookings Institution and the Center for the Study of Democratic Politics at Princeton University’s Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs will examine how—and how much—various campaign activities influence the final results. The event is the second in a series of roundtable discussions this fall being sponsored by Brookings and Princeton.