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Jack Santucci

Assistant Teaching Professor, Drexel University
Chapter Member: New Jersey-Philadelphia SSN
Areas of Expertise:

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About Jack

Santucci's research focuses on party systems and electoral systems, mostly in the United States. Overarching themes in Santucci's writings include ranked-choice voting, proportional representation, and party realignment.

Contributions | No Jargon Podcast | In the News | Publications

Contributions

How Ranked-Choice Voting Could Empower Independents and Make American Elections More Inclusive

  • Larry J. Diamond
Key Findings Brief,

In the News

Jack Santucci quoted on the intricacies of RCV by Alan Greenblatt, "Voting Problems Open the Door to Election Alternatives" Governing, February 5, 2020.
"Ranked-Choice Voting and the Future of Small-d democracy in New York," Jack Santucci, New York Daily News, November 14, 2019.
"Factional Voting in Local Elections: The Case of Cambridge, MA," Jack Santucci, Urban Affairs Forum, February 7, 2019.
"Why Adopting Proportional Voting May Bring Back the Big-Tent Political Party," Jack Santucci, LSE US Centre, November 5, 2018.
"Maine's Election Shows That Ranked-Choice Voting Is Hot Right Now. But We Have Been Here Before.," Jack Santucci, USAPP, June 15, 2018.
"Maine's Citizens Passed 'Ranked-Choice Voting.' Why Did Republicans Shoot it Down?," Jack Santucci, The Washington Post, May 31, 2017.
"Past Experience Shows That Proportional Representation is Possible in the US. But There are Tradeoffs," Jack Santucci, London School of Economics USA Politics & Policy, December 21, 2016.
"Will Ranked-Choice Voting Succeed in Maine? That Depends on the Democrats," Jack Santucci, The Washington Post, October 13, 2016.
"How to Map Political Data Free-of-Charge," Jack Santucci, ElectionGuide Digest, February 15, 2013.

Publications

"Using Mixed Methods to Recover Electoral History: The American Path to Proportional Voting" SAGE Research Methods Cases (Part 2) (2019).

Outlines the research and publication process for junior scholars in the field of urban political development.

"Maine Ranked-Choice Voting as a Case of Electoral-System Change" Representation (2018).

Argues that Alternative Vote (i.e. single-seat ranked-choice voting) adoptions are likely in contexts where a majority of voters cannot agree on a single candidate, but can agree on whom they do not want in office.

"Evidence of a Winning-Cohesion Tradeoff under Multi-Winner Ranked-Choice Voting" Electoral Studies 52 (2018): 128-138.

Presents evidence that suggests the single transferable vote leads parties to diversify their slates, at some cost to legislative discipline. Uses roll-call data from Cincinnati (1929-57) and Worcester, Massachusetts. (1949-60).

"Party Splits, Not Progressives: The Origins of Proportional Representation in American Local Government" American Politics Research 45, no. 3 (2017): 494-526.

Documents conditions leading to the adoption (or not) of single-transferable-vote systems in 24 American cities, 1915-47.