Stealing Democracy
posted by Daniel Solove
My colleague, Professor Spencer Overton at GW Law School, has just published a terrific new book, Stealing Democracy: The New Politics of Voter Suppression. From the book’s website, here’s a listing of the chapters and a brief summary of each:
INTRODUCTION: THE MATRIX — Politicians use an invisible matrix of election rules, practices, and procedures to shape the electorate and determine political outcomes.
CHAPTER ONE: HOW TO RIG ELECTIONS — Self-serving politicians like Texas Congressman Tom DeLay orchestrate voting district maps to enhance their political power.
CHAPTER TWO: PATCHWORK DEMOCRACY — The United States features over 3,000 different sets of voting rules, and thus your “right to vote” depends on where you live. Voters in favored districts cast ballots quickly while other voters navigate 3-hour lines and antiquated punch card machines.
CHAPTER THREE: DOES RACE STILL MATTER? — Politicians still use race to predict voting behavior and erect barriers that exclude voters of color.
CHAPTER FOUR: NO BACKSLIDING — The Voting Rights Act’s “preclearance provisions” are still needed.
CHAPTER FIVE: LA SOCIEDAD ABIERTA — The bilingual ballot provisions of the Voting Rights Act remain critical.
CHAPTER SIX: FRAUD OR SUPPRESSION? — Those who would condition the right to vote on the showing of a photo ID fail to establish that their proposal will exclude even one fraudulent voter for every 1000 legitimate voters excluded.
CONCLUSION: THE CHOICE — Average citizens explain how and why they invest time working through Common Cause, National Council of La Raza, The League of Women Voters, and the NAACP to change democracy.
June 6, 2006 at 2:41 am
Posted in: Articles and Books
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Spencer Overton - June 6, 2006 at 4:43 am
Thanks for spreading the word, Dan! While the book grapples with with some of the biggest conflicts of the day, it also uses stories of actual politicians and voters and, I hope, is an interesting read. To give you a flavor of the book, you can read the introductory chapter here:
http://www.stealingdemocracy.com/OvertonIntro.pdf
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