"Few Americans and even fewer citizens of other nations understand the electoral process in the United States. The second edition of this Very Short Introduction offers an up-to-date overview of American political parties and elections, providing an insider's view of how the system actually works while shining a light on some of its flaws"--; Provided by publisher.; Includes bibliographical references and index.; Machine generated contents note: -- 1 The context of American elections and political parties -- 2 A brief history of American political parties -- 3 Party organizations: What do they look like? What do they do? -- 4 Who are Republicans? Who are Democrats? Who are the "others"? -- 5 Presidential elections: Nominating campaigns and general elections -- 6 Subnational nominations and elections -- 7 Far from the perfect democracy -- Notes -- Further reading -- Index.;