Changing How America Votes
- ISBN-10
- 1442276088
- ISBN-13
- 9781442276086
- Category
- Political Science
- Pages
- 256
- Language
- English
- Published
- 2017-04-01
- Publisher
- Rowman & Littlefield
- Author
- Todd Donovan
Description
Democracy requires conversations about how its practice can be improved. This is an enduring theme in American politics, and demands for change in how we conduct elections are highly salient today. The crisis of the 2000 presidential election generated demands for changes in election rules, but the response was muted. After 2000, several states adopted photo ID laws, and other rules that made it more difficult to vote. The 2010 Citizens United decision heralded in deregulation of campaign finance. The Voting Rights Act was weakened by The Court in 2013. More recently, the unprecedented presidential election of 2016 generated accusations from the left and right that America’s elections were ‘a rigged system’ of caucuses, conventions, and campaign finance desperately in need of reforms. Changing How America Votes is an edited volume comprised of 15 short substantive chapters on various specific reform topics that examine how electoral democracy in the United States is working, and how it might be improved. Editor Todd Donovan has written brief introductory and concluding chapters, and very brief introductions to the following three thematic sections that divide the readings accordingly: Voting and Participation: Changing Who Votes; Electoral Rules and Systems: Changing How We Vote; and Changing the Role of Parties and Money. In order to facilitate student learning and assist instructors’ ability to use the book, this edited volume reads as a coherent text. The contributors, many of whom are accomplished scholars, or who write frequent blog posts and Op-Ed pieces, were asked to write as accessibly as possible for an undergraduate audience, and address many of the following topics: • Why is this issue important? • What would a proposed reform look like? • What are arguments in favor of the proposal? • Is there evidence it might make a difference, and what difference would it make? • Beyond the evidence, is it the right thing to do? List of contributors: Joseph Anthony, Lonna Rae Atkeson, Matt Barreto , Brian Brox, Barry C. Burden, Jason S. Byers, Jamie L. Carson, Jason P. Casellas, Kellen Gracey, Wendy L. Hansen, Ron Hayduk, Jordan Hsu, David C. Kimball, Vladimir Kogan, Martha Kropf, Eric McGhee, Stephen Nuño, Drew Spencer Penrose, Rob Richie, Gabriel Sanchez, Shane P. Singh, Caroline J. Tolbert, Hannah Walker, Holly Whisman, and Kenicia Wright
Get the book
Similar books
-
Changing the Way America Votes: Election Reform, Incrementalism, and Cutting Deals
By Geralyn M. MillerChanging the Way America Votes: Election Reform, Incrementalism, and Cutting Deals
-
Helping America Vote: The Limits of Election Reform
By David C. Kimball, Martha KropfDaniel P. Tokaji writes that discretion is sometimes written into election law and “also exists where it is unclear what the law ... As a result, Republicans tend to pro- mote efforts to combat voter fraud, which may reduce turnout, ...
-
America Votes 33: 2017-2018, Election Returns by State
By Rhodes CookIncluding both primary and general election data, this volume is an essential acquisition for university, school, public, and professional libraries.
-
America Votes!: A Guide to Modern Election Law and Voting Rights
By Benjamin E. GriffithThis detailed snapshot of America's voting and electoral practices, problems, and most current issues addresses a variety of fundamental areas concerning election law from a federal perspective, with coverage of such topics as voter ...
-
Vote for Us: How to Take Back Our Elections and Change the Future of Voting
By Joshua A. DouglasProfessor Joshua A. Douglas, an expert on our electoral system, examines these encouraging developments in this inspiring book about how regular Americans are working to take back their democracy, one community at a time.
-
The Selfie Vote: Where Millennials Are Leading America (And How Republicans Can Keep Up)
By Kristen Soltis AndersonIn The Selfie Vote, Anderson, a pollster and political consultant, examines how these hot-topic trends are influencing the way America votes.
-
Fixing Elections: The Failure of America's Winner Take All Politics
By Steven HillFixing Elections is a refreshing blueprint to resurrect our founders' democratic vision by adopting common-sense changes already instituted in other democracies.
-
The Angry American: How Voter Rage Is Changing The Nation
By Susan TolchinPiore, Michael J. Beyond Individualism. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1995. Pomper, Gerald. Passions and Interests: Political Party Concepts of American Democracy. Lawrence: University Press of Kansas, 1992. Popkin, Samuel L. The ...
-
The Unchanging American Voter
By Eric R. A. N. SmithThe test-retest correlations (Pearson r's) for both the levels indexes and the number of responses are presented in Table 13 to facilitate comparison. What stands out most is that all the continuity coefficients for the number of ...
-
Securing the Vote: Protecting American Democracy
By Division on Engineering and Physical Sciences, Computer Science and Telecommunications Board, Policy and Global AffairsSecuring the Vote: Protecting American Democracy examines the challenges arising out of the 2016 federal election, assesses current technology and standards for voting, and recommends steps that the federal government, state and local ...