The democracy index : why our election system is failing and how to fix it / Heather K. Gerken.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Gerken, Heather K., 1969-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Voting--United States.

Voting.

Elections--United States.

Elections.

Voter registration--United States.

Voter registration.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (192 p.)

Edition:

Course Book

Place of Publication:

Princeton : Princeton University Press, 2009.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Despite howls for reform, the only thing separating us from another election disaster of the kind that hit Florida in 2000, and that almost struck again in Ohio in 2004, may simply be another close vote. In this lucid and lively book, Heather Gerken diagnoses what is wrong with our elections and proposes a radically new and simple solution: a Democracy Index that would rate the performance of state and local election systems. A rough equivalent to the U.S. News and World Report ranking of colleges and universities, the Index would focus on problems that matter to all voters: How long does it take to vote? How many ballots get discarded? How often do voting machines break down? And it should work for a simple reason: no one wants to be at the bottom of the list. For a process that is supposed to be all about counting, U.S. elections yield few reliable numbers about anything--least of all how well the voting system is managed. The Democracy Index would change this with a blueprint for quantifying election performance and reform results, replacing anecdotes and rhetoric with hard data and verifiable outcomes. A fresh vision of reform, this book shows how to drive improvements by creating incentives for politicians, parties, and election officials to join the cause of change and to come up with creative solutions--all without Congress issuing a single regulation. In clear and energetic terms, The Democracy Index explains how to realize the full potential of the Index while avoiding potential pitfalls. Election reform will never be the same again.

Contents:

Frontmatter

Contents

Acknowledgments

Introduction: Why We Need a Democracy Index

1. The Perverse Politics of Election Reform

2. The Promise of Data-driven Reform

3. The Politics of Reform and the Promise of Ranking

4. Is the Game Worth the Candle?

5. Getting from Here to There in Miniature

Conclusion: Getting from "Here to There" Redux

Afterword

Notes

Index

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references (p. [143]-171) and index.

ISBN:

9786612158711

9781282158719

1282158716

9781400829910

1400829917

OCLC:

440772394