This book offers a critical re-evaluation of three fundamental and interlocking themes in American democracy: the relationship between race and politics, the performance and reform of election systems and the role of courts in regulating the political process. This edited volume features contributions from some of the leading voices in election law and social science. The authors address the recurring questions for American democracy and identify new challenges for the twenty-first century. They not only consider where current policy and scholarship are headed, but also suggest where they ought to go over the next two decades. The book thus provides intellectual guideposts for future scholarship and policy making in American democracy.

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.

This book offers a critical re-evaluation of three fundamental and interlocking themes in American democracy: the relationship between race and politics, the performance and reform of election systems and the role of courts in regulating the political process. This edited volume features contributions from some of the leading voices in election law and social science. The authors address the recurring questions for American democracy and identify new challenges for the twenty-first century. They not only consider where current policy and scholarship are headed, but also suggest where they ought to go over the next two decades. The book thus provides intellectual guideposts for future scholarship and policy making in American democracy.

Redistricting and Minority Representation brings together expert research and analysis of the past and present status of minority representation as influenced by the effects of redistricting and the changes that need to be made. It begins with an examination of the success of black candidates in white majority districts in 1996 elections, as well as the changing face of southern politics; then moves into a study of Hispanic representation which becomes more important as the Hispanic population grows. Next is a valuable guide to properly addressing redistricting issues for minorities upon the results of the 2000 census, and the final chapter concludes with a study on the significance of racially polarized voting on the electoral chances of black candidates. The second part of the book provides commentaries warning about an optimistic interpretation of the victories of black candidates as a turning point for minority representation, a much more positive assessment of the state and future of minority representation, and a legal examination of the steps that must be followed while attempting to provide greater representation for minorities.