Democracy's Moment Reforming the American Political System for the 21st Century

by Hayduk, Ronald; Mattson, Kevin; Hill, Steven; Kahne, Joseph; Kleppner, Caleb; Lefkowitz, Joel; Levine, Peter; Mitchell, Lincoln; Nelson, Galen; Raskin, Jamin; Richie, Robert; Schmitt, Mark; Shepard, Ben; Snyder, Claire; Westheimer, Joel; Winger, Richard

• ISBN13: 9780742517509
• ISBN10: 0742517500
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2002-04-23
• Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

Summary

The two-month long Election Day in Florida made one thing clear: We need to find ways to make the American political system more responsive to the demands of all citizens. This book provides a critical assessement of a broad range of electoral reforms proposed to enhance responsive government. The book aims not only to analyze the obstacles to full political participation, but to capitalize on the window of opportunity that election 2000 has provided to make our political system more truly democratic-to realize democracy's moment.

Table of Contents

Foreword	ix
Miles S. Rapoport
Acknowledgments	xiii
Part One: Introduction and Historical Background
Remembering Florida for the Right Reasons	3	(12)
Ronald Hayduk
Kevin Mattson
History as Hope: The Legacy of the Progressive Era and the Future of Political Reform in America	15	(14)
Kevin Mattson
Part Two: Eliminating Barriers to Political Participation
Tearing Down Walls	27	(2)
Ronald Hayduk
Kevin Mattson
The Weight of History: Election Reform during the Progressive Era and Today	29	(16)
Ronald Hayduk
More Choice Please! Why U.S. Ballot Access Laws Are Discriminatory and How Independent Parties and Candidates Challenge Them	45	(16)
Richard Winger
Freeing Politics from the Grip of Money: The Limits , of Campaign Finance Reform and the Need for a New Approach	61	(16)
Mark Schmitt
Part Three: Engaging Citizens
Building Citizens	75	(2)
Ronald Hayduk
Kevin Mattson
Democratic Theory and the Case for Public Deliberation	77	(14)
R. Claire Snyder
Educating for Democracy	91	(18)
Joel Westheimer
Joseph Kahne
Community as a Source for Democratic Politics	109	(12)
Benjamin Shepard
Can the Internet Rescue Democracy? Toward an CW -line Commons	121	(22)
Peter Levine
Part Four: Making the System More Responsive
Making the System More Responsive	141	(2)
Ronald Hayduk
Kevin Mattson
Instant Runoff Voting and Full Representation: Keys to Fulfilling Democracy's Promise	143	(16)
Robert Richie
Steven Hill
Caleb Kleppner
Putting Democracy Back into the Intuitive and Referendum	159	(12)
Galen Nelson
The Debate Gerrymander and America's Electoral- Industrial Complex	171	(18)
Jamin Raskin
The Electoral College: Constitutional Debate, Partisan Manipulation, and Reform Possibilities	189	(10)
Joel Lefkowitz
Part Five: Challenges and Prospects for Democratic Reform
What Makes Reform So Difficult: The Case of America's Cities and the Problems of Elites	199	(14)
Lincoln Mitchell
Looking Backward While Looking Forward to Democracy's Moment	213	(6)
Ronald Hayduk
Kevin Mattson
Appendix: National and Regional Democracy Organizations	219	(22)
Bibliography	241	(14)
Index	255	(10)
About the Contributors	265