Electoral Dysfunction

by Bassetti, Victoria; Rocca, Mo; Smith, Heather (AFT)

• ISBN13: 9781595588128
• ISBN10: 1595588124
• eBook ISBN(s): 9781595588210
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2012-09-18
• Publisher: New Pr
• More Book Details
• Purchase Benefits

Summary

Imagine a country where the right to vote is not guaranteed by the Constitution, where the candidate with the most votes loses, and where paperwork requirements and bureaucratic bungling disenfranchise millions. You're living in it. If the consequences weren't so serious, it would be funny. An eye-opening, fact-filled companion to the forthcoming PBS documentary starring political satirist and commentator Mo Rocca, Electoral Dysfunctionilluminates a broad array of issues, including the Founding Fathers' decision to omit the right to vote from the Constitution--and the legal system's patchwork response to this omission; the battle over voter ID, voter impersonation, and voter fraud; the foul-ups that plague Election Day, from ballot design to contested recounts; the role of partisan officials in running elections; and the anti-democratic origins and impact of the Electoral College. The book concludes with a prescription for a healthy voting system by Heather Smith, president of Rock the Vote. Published in the run-up to the 2012 election, Electoral Dysfunctionis for readers across the political spectrum who want their votes to count.

Table of Contents

Foreword	p. ix
Introduction	p. xv
In Search of the Right to Vote
Do Americans Really Have the Right to Vote?	p. 1
The Epic Battle for the Vote
Who Gets to Vote in America and the Quest for Universal Suffrage	p. 17
To Vote or Not to Vote
Who Votes and Why	p. 49
The Mystic Agency of the Electoral College
The Bewildering Way America Elects Its Presidents	p. 75
A Ramshackle House
The Convoluted and Misunderstood Election System	p. 101
The Games We Play
The Partisan Fight over Voting	p. 143
Afterword	p. 183
Constitutional Provisions Relating to Voting	p. 193
Timeline of Major Events in American Voting	p. 199
Illustrations	p. 205
Additional Resources	p. 221
Acknowledgments	p. 225
Select Bibliography	p. 227
Index	p. 249
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