Why The Electoral College Is Bad For America

Author : George C. Edwards III
Publisher : Yale University Press
Page : 296 pages
File Size : 45,7 Mb
Release : 2019-08-20
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9780300249651

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Why the Electoral College Is Bad for America by George C. Edwards III Pdf

A new edition of the best-known book critiquing the U.S. electoral college In this third edition of the definitive book on the unique system by which Americans choose a president—and why that system should be changed—George Edwards includes a new chapter focusing on the 2016 election. “As the U.S. hurtles toward yet another election in which the popular vote loser may become president, Edwards’s book is essential reading. It clearly and methodically punctures myths about the Electoral College’s benefits.”—Richard L. Hasen, author of The Voting Wars “Supported by both history and data, George Edwards convincingly argues the Electoral College is anti†‘democratic, anti†‘equality, and anti†‘common sense. We should dismantle it, and soon.”—Kent Greenfield, author of Corporations Are People Too (And They Should Act Like It)

Author : George C. Edwards III
Publisher : Cambridge University Press
Page : 279 pages
File Size : 53,7 Mb
Release : 2023-11-30
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9781009426251

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Why the Electoral College Is Bad for America by George C. Edwards III Pdf

Employing rigorous analysis and systematic data, this volume shows how the electoral college violates democratic principles and does not provide the benefits its advocates claim. With a new chapter addressing the 2020 election, this remains the definitive book on the unique American election system-and why that system should change.

Author : Alexander Keyssar
Publisher : Harvard University Press
Page : 545 pages
File Size : 55,9 Mb
Release : 2020-07-31
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9780674974142

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Why Do We Still Have the Electoral College? by Alexander Keyssar Pdf

A New Statesman Book of the Year “America’s greatest historian of democracy now offers an extraordinary history of the most bizarre aspect of our representative democracy—the electoral college...A brilliant contribution to a critical current debate.” —Lawrence Lessig, author of They Don’t Represent Us Every four years, millions of Americans wonder why they choose their presidents through an arcane institution that permits the loser of the popular vote to become president and narrows campaigns to swing states. Congress has tried on many occasions to alter or scuttle the Electoral College, and in this master class in American political history, a renowned Harvard professor explains its confounding persistence. After tracing the tangled origins of the Electoral College back to the Constitutional Convention, Alexander Keyssar outlines the constant stream of efforts since then to abolish or reform it. Why have they all failed? The complexity of the design and partisan one-upmanship have a lot to do with it, as do the difficulty of passing constitutional amendments and the South’s long history of restrictive voting laws. By revealing the reasons for past failures and showing how close we’ve come to abolishing the Electoral College, Keyssar offers encouragement to those hoping for change. “Conclusively demonstrates the absurdity of preserving an institution that has been so contentious throughout U.S. history and has not infrequently produced results that defied the popular will.” —Michael Kazin, The Nation “Rigorous and highly readable...shows how the electoral college has endured despite being reviled by statesmen from James Madison, Thomas Jefferson, and Andrew Jackson to Edward Kennedy, Bob Dole, and Gerald Ford.” —Lawrence Douglas, Times Literary Supplement

Author : Jesse Wegman
Publisher : All Points Books
Page : 272 pages
File Size : 43,5 Mb
Release : 2020-03-17
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9781250221988

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Let the People Pick the President by Jesse Wegman Pdf

“Wegman combines in-depth historical analysis and insight into contemporary politics to present a cogent argument that the Electoral College violates America’s ‘core democratic principles’ and should be done away with..." —Publishers Weekly The framers of the Constitution battled over it. Lawmakers have tried to amend or abolish it more than 700 times. To this day, millions of voters, and even members of Congress, misunderstand how it works. It deepens our national divide and distorts the core democratic principles of political equality and majority rule. How can we tolerate the Electoral College when every vote does not count the same, and the candidate who gets the most votes can lose? Twice in the last five elections, the Electoral College has overridden the popular vote, calling the integrity of the entire system into question—and creating a false picture of a country divided into bright red and blue blocks when in fact we are purple from coast to coast. Even when the popular-vote winner becomes president, tens of millions of Americans—Republicans and Democrats alike—find that their votes didn't matter. And, with statewide winner-take-all rules, only a handful of battleground states ultimately decide who will become president. Now, as political passions reach a boiling point at the dawn of the 2020 race, the message from the American people is clear: The way we vote for the only official whose job it is to represent all Americans is neither fair nor just. Major reform is needed—now. Isn't it time to let the people pick the president? In this thoroughly researched and engaging call to arms, Supreme Court journalist and New York Times editorial board member Jesse Wegman draws upon the history of the founding era, as well as information gleaned from campaign managers, field directors, and other officials from twenty-first-century Democratic and Republican presidential campaigns, to make a powerful case for abolishing the antiquated and antidemocratic Electoral College. In Let the People Pick the President he shows how we can at long last make every vote in the United States count—and restore belief in our democratic system.

Author : George C. Edwards (III.)
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 198 pages
File Size : 50,7 Mb
Release : 2004
Category : Electronic
ISBN : OCLC:501315735

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Why the Electoral College is Bad for America by George C. Edwards (III.) Pdf

Author : George C. Edwards
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 259 pages
File Size : 44,5 Mb
Release : 2011
Category : Electoral college
ISBN : 030018087X

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Why the Electoral College is Bad for America by George C. Edwards Pdf

Thoroughly revised and updated, with an extensive analysis of the 2008 election, this book remains the best analysis of the Electoral College for both students and general readers. --Book Description from Website.

Author : Tara Ross
Publisher : Gateway Editions
Page : 305 pages
File Size : 52,8 Mb
Release : 2019-06-18
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9781684510139

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Why We Need the Electoral College by Tara Ross Pdf

Is the Electoral College anti-democratic? Some would say yes. After all, the presidential candidate with the most popular votes has nevertheless lost the election at least three times, including 2016. To some Americans, that’s a scandal. They believe the Electoral College is an intolerable flaw in the Constitution, a relic of a bygone era that ought to have been purged long ago. But that would be a terrible mistake, warns Tara Ross in this vigorous defense of “the indispensable Electoral College.” Far from an obstacle to enlightened democracy, the Electoral College is one of the guardrails ensuring the stability of the American Republic. In this lively and instructive primer, Tara Ross explains: Why the Founders established the Electoral College—and why they thought it vital to the Constitution Why the Electoral College was meant to be more important than the popular vote How the Electoral College prevents political crises after tight elections Why the Electoral College doesn’t favor one party over the other Why the states are the driving force behind presidential elections and how efforts to centralize the process have led to divisiveness and discontent Why the Electoral College is inappropriately labeled a “relic of slavery” Every four years, the controversy is renewed: Should we keep the Electoral College? Tara Ross shows you why the answer should be a resounding Yes!

Author : Grace Houser
Publisher : The Rosen Publishing Group, Inc
Page : 34 pages
File Size : 49,5 Mb
Release : 2017-12-15
Category : Juvenile Nonfiction
ISBN : 9781538327968

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Understanding U.S. Elections and the Electoral College by Grace Houser Pdf

It may be surprising to learn that U.S. citizens don't directly vote for their president. The president is actually elected by the Electoral College, a system that has been the subject of great debate in recent years. This informational book explains what the Electoral College is, how it works, and why it was established. Full-color photographs and primary sources help readers make valuable connections with the text. Students will be encouraged to think critically and ask important questions about our nation's election system.

Author : Eric Burin
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 152 pages
File Size : 49,8 Mb
Release : 2017-02
Category : Electronic
ISBN : 0692833447

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Picking the President by Eric Burin Pdf

The 2016 presidential election has sparked an unprecedented interest in the Electoral College. In response to Donald Trump winning the presidency despite losing the popular vote, numerous individuals have weighed in with letters-to-the-editor, op-eds, blog posts, videos, and the like, and thanks to the revolution in digital communications, these items have reached an exceptionally wide audience. In short, never before have so many people had so much to say about the Electoral College. To facilitate and expand the conversation, Picking the President: Understanding the Electoral College offers brief essays that examine the Electoral College from different disciplinary perspectives, including philosophy, mathematics, political science, history, and pedagogy. Along the way, the essays address a variety of questions about the Electoral College: Why was it created? How has it changed over time? Who benefits from it? Is it just? How will future demographic patterns affect it? Should we alter or abolish the Electoral College, and if so, what should replace it? In exploring these matters, Picking the President enhances our understanding of one of America's most high-profile, momentous issues.

Author : William C. Kimberling
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 20 pages
File Size : 48,6 Mb
Release : 1992
Category : Electoral college
ISBN : PURD:32754076105075

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The Electoral College by William C. Kimberling Pdf

Author : National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine,Division on Engineering and Physical Sciences,Computer Science and Telecommunications Board,Policy and Global Affairs,Committee on Science, Technology, and Law,Committee on the Future of Voting: Accessible, Reliable, Verifiable Technology
Publisher : National Academies Press
Page : 181 pages
File Size : 52,9 Mb
Release : 2018-09-30
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9780309476478

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Securing the Vote by National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine,Division on Engineering and Physical Sciences,Computer Science and Telecommunications Board,Policy and Global Affairs,Committee on Science, Technology, and Law,Committee on the Future of Voting: Accessible, Reliable, Verifiable Technology Pdf

During the 2016 presidential election, America's election infrastructure was targeted by actors sponsored by the Russian government. Securing 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 governments, election administrators, and vendors of voting technology should take to improve the security of election infrastructure. In doing so, the report provides a vision of voting that is more secure, accessible, reliable, and verifiable.

Author : Katherine M. Gehl,Michael E. Porter
Publisher : Harvard Business Press
Page : 316 pages
File Size : 41,5 Mb
Release : 2020-06-23
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9781633699243

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The Politics Industry by Katherine M. Gehl,Michael E. Porter Pdf

Leading political innovation activist Katherine Gehl and world-renowned business strategist Michael Porter bring fresh perspective, deep scholarship, and a real and actionable solution, Final Five Voting, to the grand challenge of our broken political and democratic system. Final Five Voting has already been adopted in Alaska and is being advanced in states across the country. The truth is, the American political system is working exactly how it is designed to work, and it isn't designed or optimized today to work for us—for ordinary citizens. Most people believe that our political system is a public institution with high-minded principles and impartial rules derived from the Constitution. In reality, it has become a private industry dominated by a textbook duopoly—the Democrats and the Republicans—and plagued and perverted by unhealthy competition between the players. Tragically, it has therefore become incapable of delivering solutions to America's key economic and social challenges. In fact, there's virtually no connection between our political leaders solving problems and getting reelected. In The Politics Industry, business leader and path-breaking political innovator Katherine Gehl and world-renowned business strategist Michael Porter take a radical new approach. They ingeniously apply the tools of business analysis—and Porter's distinctive Five Forces framework—to show how the political system functions just as every other competitive industry does, and how the duopoly has led to the devastating outcomes we see today. Using this competition lens, Gehl and Porter identify the most powerful lever for change—a strategy comprised of a clear set of choices in two key areas: how our elections work and how we make our laws. Their bracing assessment and practical recommendations cut through the endless debate about various proposed fixes, such as term limits and campaign finance reform. The result: true political innovation. The Politics Industry is an original and completely nonpartisan guide that will open your eyes to the true dynamics and profound challenges of the American political system and provide real solutions for reshaping the system for the benefit of all. THE INSTITUTE FOR POLITICAL INNOVATION The authors will donate all royalties from the sale of this book to the Institute for Political Innovation.

Author : Pippa Norris,Sarah Cameron,Thomas Wynter
Publisher : Oxford University Press, USA
Page : 281 pages
File Size : 40,7 Mb
Release : 2018-11-20
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9780190934163

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Electoral Integrity in America by Pippa Norris,Sarah Cameron,Thomas Wynter Pdf

Concern about the integrity of American elections did not start with Trump's election; flaws in procedures have gradually grown during recent decades. The contemporary "tipping point" that raised public awareness was the 2000 Bush v. Gore Florida count, but, the 2016 campaign and its aftermath clearly worsened several major structural weaknesses. This deepened party polarization over the rules of the game and corroded American trust in the electoral process. Disputes over elections have proliferated on all sides in Trump's America with heated debate about the key problems--whether the risks of electoral fraud, fake news, voter suppression, or Russian interference--and with no consensus about the right solutions. This book illuminates several major challenges observed during the 2016 U.S. elections, focusing upon concern about both the security and inclusiveness of the voter registration process in America. Given the importance of striking the right balance between security and inclusiveness in voter registration, this volume brings together legal scholars, political scientists, and electoral assistance practitioners to provide new evidence-based insights and policy-relevant recommendations.

Author : Tara Ross
Publisher : Colonial Press L.P.
Page : 0 pages
File Size : 54,8 Mb
Release : 2012
Category : Electoral college
ISBN : 0977072223

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Enlightened Democracy by Tara Ross Pdf

Opponents of the Electoral College are swift to dismiss the institution as outdated and elitist, an anachronism that should be replaced by a direct popular vote. This book, written in straightforward language, examines the institutions role in selecting Presidents across the centuries and comes to a different conclusion the Electoral College protects our republic and promotes our liberty. (Amazon.com).

Author : William G. Howell
Publisher : Princeton University Press
Page : 224 pages
File Size : 52,8 Mb
Release : 2015-03-22
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9780691165684

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Thinking About the Presidency by William G. Howell Pdf

How the search for power defines the American presidential office All American presidents, past and present, have cared deeply about power—acquiring, protecting, and expanding it. While individual presidents obviously have other concerns, such as shaping policy or building a legacy, the primacy of power considerations—exacerbated by expectations of the presidency and the inadequacy of explicit powers in the Constitution—sets presidents apart from other political actors. Thinking about the Presidency explores presidents' preoccupation with power. Distinguished presidential scholar William Howell looks at the key aspects of executive power—political and constitutional origins, philosophical underpinnings, manifestations in contemporary political life, implications for political reform, and looming influences over the standards to which we hold those individuals elected to America's highest office. Howell shows that an appetite for power may not inform the original motivations of those who seek to become president. Rather, this need is built into the office of the presidency itself—and quickly takes hold of whoever bears the title of Chief Executive. In order to understand the modern presidency, and the degrees to which a president succeeds or fails, the acquisition, protection, and expansion of power in a president's political life must be recognized—in policy tools and legislative strategies, the posture taken before the American public, and the disregard shown to those who would counsel modesty and deference within the White House. Thinking about the Presidency assesses how the search for and defense of presidential powers informs nearly every decision made by the leader of the nation. In a new preface, Howell reflects on presidential power during the presidency of Barack Obama.