The Electoral College and the American Idea of Democracy

The Electoral College and the American Idea of Democracy PDF Author: Martin Diamond
Publisher: American Enterprise Institute Press
ISBN:
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 36

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Book Description

The Electoral College and the American Idea of Democracy

The Electoral College and the American Idea of Democracy PDF Author: Martin Diamond
Publisher: American Enterprise Institute Press
ISBN:
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 36

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Book Description


Why Do We Still Have the Electoral College?

Why Do We Still Have the Electoral College? PDF Author: Alexander Keyssar
Publisher: Harvard University Press
ISBN: 067497414X
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 545

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Book Description
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

Securing Democracy

Securing Democracy PDF Author: Gary L. Gregg
Publisher: Intercollegiate Studies Institute
ISBN:
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 208

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Book Description
A collection of essays by leading politicians, journalists, and academics that show how the Electoral College is embedded in the fabric of our constitutional system and cannot easily be changed without disturbing the whole framework.

Let the People Pick the President

Let the People Pick the President PDF Author: Jesse Wegman
Publisher: Macmillan + ORM
ISBN: 1250221986
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 177

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Book Description
“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.

Why the Electoral College Is Bad for America

Why the Electoral College Is Bad for America PDF Author: George C. Edwards III
Publisher: Yale University Press
ISBN: 0300249659
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 296

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Book Description
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)

America's New Democracy

America's New Democracy PDF Author: Morris P. Fiorina
Publisher: Longman Publishing Group
ISBN: 9780321092489
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 740

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Book Description
25% less expensive than other brief texts, and 20% shorter than the previous edition, this book is an excellent option for professors who want to use supplementary texts, readings, or periodicals. Written in a strong narrative voice and brimming with student-relevant examples, the second edition of "America""'s New Democracy" provides a focused and stimulating treatment of politics in the United States. Illustrating popular influence across the political system in defense of a central theme-that elections matter more in America's political system today than they have in the past or do in other democracies-the book challenges the pessimistic view that government seldom listens to ordinary people. "America's New Democracy" encourages readers to see that in a system where votes are the main currency, both power and responsibility rest on the shoulders of "all" citizens.

Is The US Electoral College A Polite Fiction That Should Be Abolished?

Is The US Electoral College A Polite Fiction That Should Be Abolished? PDF Author: Fritz Dufour, Linguist, MBA, DESS
Publisher: Fritz Dufour
ISBN:
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 24

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Book Description
This article is an argument against the US electoral college as a concept. It looks at the policies and failures of the five electoral college-elected presidents – three of them in the 19th century and the other two in the 21st century. It explores the electoral college’s modus operandi and its hindrance to American democracy to deduct its irrelevance. Mr. Dufour looks at people’s expectations from democracy in the 21st century as well as the meaning of American democracy, which is linked to the American dream to infer the polite fiction nature of the electoral college. The merit of the article lies within the facts it explores and considers as irrefutable evidence against any kind of compatibility between the electoral college and progressivism.

After the People Vote

After the People Vote PDF Author: Walter Berns
Publisher: American Enterprise Institute Press
ISBN:
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 128

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Book Description
The new edition of this popular guide examines how the electoral college and postelection processes work andincludes a short history ofcontested elections.

Democracy Rising

Democracy Rising PDF Author: Ken Konecnik
Publisher: Vantage Press, Inc
ISBN: 9780533161867
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 92

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Book Description
The campaign for the 2008 presidential election raised the hopes of many Americans. Not only were they elated by the outcome, but many also considered that the process had worked better than it had in recent years. While author Ken Konecnik agrees with some of these evaluations, his view of the manner by which we elect our presidents remains critical. In Democracy Rising, Konecnik peers into every corner of the electoral operation, and doesnt like what he sees. The list of culprits begins with advertising, and runs through the Internet, the media, the two-party system, the electoral college system, and an American populace that is all too often apathetic about exercising its franchise. Offering examples from American history along with ideas on how the nation can return to some of the principles of the Founding Fathers, Konecnik gives voice to the hope that America will soon witness Democracy Rising.

Enlightened Democracy

Enlightened Democracy PDF Author: Tara Ross
Publisher: Colonial Press L.P.
ISBN: 9780977072224
Category : Electoral college
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
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).