Democracy in the States Experiments in Election Reform

by Cain, Bruce E.; Donovan, Todd; Tolbert, Caroline J.

• ISBN13: 9780815713371
• ISBN10: 0815713371
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2008-06-23
• Publisher: Brookings Institution Press

Summary

Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis famously observed that "a single courageous state may, if its citizens choose, serve as a laboratory; and try novel social and economic experiments without risk to the rest of the country." Democracy in the States evaluates the results of state experiments in election reform, including such innovations as early voting, term limits, multimember districts, and redistricting reforms. Some of these measures seek to enhance the integrity of elections, others focus on boosting participation, and some are designed to increase electoral responsiveness. All three goals, the volume concludes, must guide a twenty-first-century agenda for election reform. Book jacket.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	p. vii
The Promise of Election Reform	p. 1
Promoting Integrity
Election Administration and Voter Confidence	p. 21
Poll Workers' Job Satisfaction and Confidence	p. 35
Promoting Participation
Vote Centers and Voter Turnout	p. 55
Early Voting and Voter Turnout	p. 68
Election Day Registration, Competition, and Voter Turnout	p. 83
Direct Democracy, Engagement, and Voter Turnout	p. 99
Promoting Responsiveness
Term Limits and State Legislatures	p. 117
Multimember Districts and State Legislatures	p. 134
Legislative Redistricting	p. 147
Multiple Parties and Ballot Regulations	p. 161
Direct Democracy and Election and Ethics Laws	p. 174
A Goal for Reform	p. 186
From the Last Generation of Reform to the Next	p. 199
References	p. 207
Contributors	p. 229
Index	p. 231
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