Minority Representation And The Quest For Voting Equality

Author : Bernard Grofman,Lisa Handley,Richard G. Niemi
Publisher : Cambridge University Press
Page : 192 pages
File Size : 53,7 Mb
Release : 1992
Category : History
ISBN : 0521477646

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Minority Representation and the Quest for Voting Equality by Bernard Grofman,Lisa Handley,Richard G. Niemi Pdf

With the passage of the Voting Rights Act in 1965, the right of minorities to register and vote was largely secured. It was soon discovered, however, that minority voting did not guarantee the election of minorities or minority-preferred candidates. Indeed, efforts by states and localities in the second half of the 1960s were aimed at denying any substantial minority representation to go along with the ability to cast ballots. Eventually congressional amendments to the Act along with the Supreme Court opinion in Thornburg v. Gingles (1986) have led to efforts to eliminate electoral laws that have the effect of diluting the minority vote, whether or not they were enacted with discriminatory intent. Controversy still surrounds the matter of minority representation, however, because of the ambiguity of certain aspects of the law and because of problems in applying it to the largely single-member district context of the 1990s. This book is the most up-to-date treatment of voting rights law and the numerous controversies surrounding minority representation. The authors have extensive, firsthand experience in both the legal battles and the scholarly examination of these issues. Based on this wealth of experience, they describe the development of the law after 1965, discuss in detail the prevailing Supreme Court interpretation of the Voting Rights Act, and examine discrepancies in federal court interpretations of subsequent actions. They also introduce the reader to technical procedures for establishing standards of representation and measuring discrimination. In the final two chapters, they consider the application of voting rights law to districting in the 1990s along with the implications of recent developments for the future of representation in America.

Author : Bernard N. Grofman,Chandler Davidson
Publisher : Brookings Institution Press
Page : 394 pages
File Size : 41,7 Mb
Release : 2011-01-01
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 0815707258

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Controversies in Minority Voting by Bernard N. Grofman,Chandler Davidson Pdf

Widely regarded as one of the most successful pieces of modern legislation, the Voting Rights Act of 1965 has transformed the nature of minority participation and representation in the United States. But with success came controversy as some scholars claim the Act has outlived its usefulness or been subverted in its aim. This volume brings together leading scholars to offer a twenty-five year perspective on the consequences of this landmark act. The Fifteenth Amendment, ratified in 1870, stated that the right of U.S. citizens to vote "shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or condition of previous servitude." The South, however, virtually ignored this right, disfranchising blacks through violence, intimidation, literacy tests, and poll taxes. The primary purpose of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 was to break down these barriers to minority voting. Beginning with chapters covering the key provisions of the Act, the book discusses the way the Act has transformed American politics and looks at the role played by major civil rights groups in lobbying for extensions and amendments to it and in insuring that its provisions would be enforced.

Author : Shaun Bowler,Todd Donovan,David Brockington
Publisher : Ohio State University Press
Page : 180 pages
File Size : 43,8 Mb
Release : 2003
Category : Law
ISBN : 0814209173

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Electoral Reform and Minority Representation by Shaun Bowler,Todd Donovan,David Brockington Pdf

Questions of minority representation have long plagued the U.S. voting systems. The standard election often leaves political, racial, or ethnic minorities with little chance of being represented. Race-conscious districting remains the primary policy tool used for providing representation of racial and ethnic minorities in the United States--and it continues to generate tremendous conflict. Can alternatives to race-conscious, single-member districts offer benefits that extend beyond simply providing descriptive representations of minorities? This study examines one such "semi-proportional" representation election system: Cumulative Voting (CV). For over a decade, scores of local U.S. governments have been elected by Cumulative Voting. This provides us with the ability to examine the effects of CV elections over time. Moreover, the use of CV in the United States allows us to compare politics in places that adopted CV to highly similar places that did not. Electoral Reform and Minority Representation shares evidence that CV elections can produce minority representation that matches levels generated with the drawing of race-conscious "majority-minority" districting. It also offers evidence that the quality of democratic processes in CV communities is in several ways higher that those under districts. Given America's growing racial and ethnic diversity, and given successful legal challenges that limit the use of race-conscious districting Electoral Reform and Minority Representation suggests that Cumulative Voting may be a better way to achieve minority representation in U.S. politics.

Author : Abigail M. Thernstrom
Publisher : Cambridge, Mass. : Harvard University Press
Page : 380 pages
File Size : 42,5 Mb
Release : 1987
Category : History
ISBN : UOM:39015062113405

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Whose Votes Count? by Abigail M. Thernstrom Pdf

"A Twentieth Century Fund study."Includes indexes. Bibliography: p. [257]-302.

Author : Abigail M. Thernstrom
Publisher : A E I Press
Page : 344 pages
File Size : 53,6 Mb
Release : 2009
Category : Law
ISBN : 0844742724

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Voting Rights--and Wrongs by Abigail M. Thernstrom Pdf

n this provocative book, Abigail Thernstrom argues that southern resistance to black political power began a process by which the act was radically revised both for good and ill. Congress, the courts, and the Justice Department altered the statute to ensure the election of blacks and Hispanics to legislative bodies ranging from school boards and county councils to the U.S. Congress.

Author : David Lublin
Publisher : Oxford University Press
Page : 551 pages
File Size : 49,5 Mb
Release : 2014
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9780199948826

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Minority Rules by David Lublin Pdf

When we think of minorities - linguistic, ethnic, religious, regional, or racial-in world politics, conflict is often the first thing that comes to mind. But as this book points out in this magisterial survey of minority-based political groups, such parties typically function fairly well within larger polities. The book eschews the usual approach of shining attention on conflict and instead looks at minority group representation in largely peaceful and democratic countries throughout the world, from the tiniest nations in Polynesia to rising powers like India.

Author : Georgia A. Persons
Publisher : Routledge
Page : 332 pages
File Size : 54,8 Mb
Release : 2017-09-04
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9781351495103

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Race and Representation by Georgia A. Persons Pdf

The National Political Science Review is the official publication of the National Conference of Black Political Scientists. This series, now entering its sixth volume, includes significant scholarly research reflecting the diverse interests of scholars from various backgrounds who use different models, approaches, and methodologies. The central focus is on politics and policies that advantage or disadvantage groups because of race, ethnicity, gender, and other major variables.Race and Representation is anchored by a symposium that focuses on efforts to enhance representation of African Americans in legislative bodies under the authority of the historic Voting Rights Act of 1965, and on recent court challenges to the constitutionality of redistricting plans drawn under that act. The chapters constitute an extension of an ongoing and protracted, highly charged, public debate. In her introduction, Georgia A. Persons discusses how recent Supreme Court rulings, such as in Shaw v. Reno, Miller v. Johnson, and Bush v. Vera, have significantly redefined the meaning and permissible parameters of the Voting Rights Act. She affirms that they have also strongly posited, albeit somewhat indirectly, a legal meaning of representation that is at variance with the more broadly philosophical meaning of representation grounded in the ideal of enhancing equality among different groups in a society.The articles in Race and Representation are refreshingly informative. They include case studies written by political scientists who became involved directly with events surrounding the theme of this volume. A new section, 'Reflections,' is introduced; it will be reserved for commentary and analysis of an issue that captures the political spirit of the times. In the inaugural contribution, J. Owens Smith reflects on the assault on liberal philosophy as a foundation for civil rights claims and offers an alternative philosophical prism for viewing and justifying such claims. This volume is essen

Author : Chandler Davidson,Bernard Grofman
Publisher : Princeton University Press
Page : 520 pages
File Size : 46,7 Mb
Release : 2021-02-09
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9780691225197

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Quiet Revolution in the South by Chandler Davidson,Bernard Grofman Pdf

This work is the first systematic attempt to measure the impact of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, commonly regarded as the most effective civil rights legislation of the century. Marshaling a wealth of detailed evidence, the contributors to this volume show how blacks and Mexican Americans in the South, along with the Justice Department, have used the act and the U.S. Constitution to overcome the resistance of white officials to minority mobilization. The book tells the story of the black struggle for equal political participation in eight core southern states from the end of the Civil War to the 1980s--with special emphasis on the period since 1965. The contributors use a variety of quantitative methods to show how the act dramatically increased black registration and black and Mexican-American office holding. They also explain modern voting rights law as it pertains to minority citizens, discussing important legal cases and giving numerous examples of how the law is applied. Destined to become a standard source of information on the history of the Voting Rights Act, Quiet Revolution in the South has implications for the controversies that are sure to continue over the direction in which the voting rights of American ethnic minorities have evolved since the 1960s.

Author : United States. Congress. House. Committee on the Judiciary. Subcommittee on Civil and Constitutional Rights
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 392 pages
File Size : 49,8 Mb
Release : 1994
Category : History
ISBN : UCR:31210014066102

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Voting Rights by United States. Congress. House. Committee on the Judiciary. Subcommittee on Civil and Constitutional Rights Pdf

Author : Morgan E. Felchner
Publisher : Bloomsbury Publishing USA
Page : 758 pages
File Size : 40,7 Mb
Release : 2008-06-30
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9780275998059

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Voting in America by Morgan E. Felchner Pdf

The three volumes of Voting in America offer the most comprehensive, authoritative, and useful account of all aspects of voting in America ever assembled. This set surveys the legal foundations, historical development, and geographic diversity of voting practices at all levels of government in the United States. It marshals the demographics of voter participation and party affiliation in the 21st century by age, occupation, location, region, class, race, and religion, and parses the roles of interest groups, hot-button issues, and the media in mobilizing voters and shaping their decisions. Finally, the set anatomizes the critical voting debacles in the 2000 and 2004 elections and assesses the proposed remedies, including online voting and electronic voting machines. The host of chapters penned for this magisterial set by an unprecedented assemblage of academics, practitioners, and pundits includes such lively topics as: the Electoral College, prisoner disenfranchisement, obstacles and options for American voters abroad, the rise of ballot initiatives, the elusive youth vote, the battle for the swing vote, local issues trends, Wisconsin voter fraud, waiting in line in Ohio, the provisional ballots mess, and partisanship in voting companies.

Author : United States. Congress. House. Committee on the Judiciary. Subcommittee on the Constitution
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 1426 pages
File Size : 51,8 Mb
Release : 2006
Category : Law
ISBN : PURD:32754076773906

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Voting Rights ACT by United States. Congress. House. Committee on the Judiciary. Subcommittee on the Constitution Pdf

Author : Bernard Grofman
Publisher : Algora Publishing
Page : 842 pages
File Size : 42,7 Mb
Release : 2003
Category : Law
ISBN : 9780875862651

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Race and Redistricting in the 1990s by Bernard Grofman Pdf

A portrait of how the 1990s round of redistricting treated the racial and linguistic minorities that had been given special protections by the Voting Rights Act of 1965, primarily African-Americans, but also Native Americans, Asian-Americans, and those of Spanish heritage. Throughout the volume, the primary focus is on the practical politics of redistricting and its consequences for racial representation. Almost all the authors have been directly involved in the 1990s redistricting process either as a legislator, a member of the Voting Rights Section of the Justice Department, a member of a districting commission, or, most commonly, as an expert witness or lawyer in voting rights cases. All bring to bear special insights as well as insider knowledge of Congressional and state redistricting.

Author : Florence Adams
Publisher : Routledge
Page : 290 pages
File Size : 54,5 Mb
Release : 2018-10-24
Category : Law
ISBN : 9781317776291

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Latinos and Local Representation by Florence Adams Pdf

This study examines trends in Voting Rights Act enforcement and the results for Latino representation. The focus is on local governments of the West and Southwest: some of the communities examined, Latino population is increasing rapidly, often to majority status; and in others, white suburban development is outnumbering, sometimes displacing Latinos. In both situations, district lines can decide the future political power of Latinos and non-Latinos alike. The local distributing process, which has never been studied in depth, is shown to be reshaping the political and racial landscape. This study looks behind legal and theoretical formulations to the realities of local districtings and redistrictings. The author, who participated as principal cartographer in the jurisdictions that are discussed, explores the decisions involved in reflecting rapid population change, the dangers of drawing districts without attention to the vitality of local organization, the problems of displacing incumbents, the unforeseen consequences of district designs, the difficulty of predicting outcomes, and the many ethical dilemmas of line-drawing. In several jurisdictions, Latinos are nearing majority status: Do concepts such as the majority-minority district and single-member districts remain relevant there? Are concerns for African American representation in southern states, which have guided so much voting rights enforcement, truly relevant to western and southwestern politics? What are the actual results--in terms of the numbers of Latinos elected--of voting rights litigation? Such questions are discussed against the backdrop of actual line-drawings, but in such a way as to contribute to voting rights theory.

Author : Gregory Benedetti,Veronique Molinari
Publisher : Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG
Page : 236 pages
File Size : 53,6 Mb
Release : 2021-02-22
Category : History
ISBN : 9783110710403

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(Re-)Mobilising Voters in Britain and the United States by Gregory Benedetti,Veronique Molinari Pdf

This collective work offers a historical approach to the issue of voters’ mobilisation and, through case studies, aims to expand the fi eld’s research agenda by taking into account less familiar mobilising strategies from various groups or parties, both in Britain and the United States. Two different yet complementary approaches are used, one from the top down with political parties, the other from the bottom up with grassroots organisations, to analyze how these groups either (re-)connect citizens with politics or give birth to social movements which durably occupy and change the political landscape of the United States and Britain.

Author : Glenn H. Utter,Ruth Ann Strickland
Publisher : Bloomsbury Publishing USA
Page : 386 pages
File Size : 44,7 Mb
Release : 2008-06-10
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9781598840704

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Campaign and Election Reform by Glenn H. Utter,Ruth Ann Strickland Pdf

This handbook provides a sweeping overview of U.S. campaign and election reform efforts, past and present, from the introduction of the secret ballot to touch-screen voting. Emphasizing the major electoral reforms since 2000, this second edition of Campaign and Election Reform investigates the development of the American electoral system from colonial times to the present. It chronicles efforts to expand suffrage, reform campaign financing, and prevent vote fraud, and traces the development of election technology from the paper ballot to the lever voting machine, from the punch-card ballot to the optical-scan and touch-screen systems. The book also explores alternative voting systems, such as preference voting and proportional representation, and compares the U.S. electoral process with the voting systems of selected European democracies. Campaign and Election Reform, Second Edition is essential reading for any citizen who wants to understand the U.S. electoral system, what's wrong with it, and how it might be fixed.