BOOKS
Everyone's Democracy: Confronting Political Inequality in America
While great strides have been made since the Founding years, the United States continues to suffer from a high degree of political inequality. Some citizens have a louder voice in their democracy than others. Both the malapportioned Senate and Electoral College overrepresent Americans in small states, while gerrymandered districts poorly convert votes into power in the House of Representatives. More than four million Americans living in Washington, D.C., and the territories lack representation in Congress, while citizens everywhere face unnecessary burdens to cast ballots. Finally, misinformation and lax campaign finance regulations make government less responsive to citizens' needs.
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In Everyone's Democracy, I explore these formidable problems and offer solutions towards a fairer, more representative political system. Chapters outline the tools that could limit malapportionment, expand voting rights, control the influence of big donors, and more.
Tuesday's Gone: America’s Early Voting Revolution
Election Day, as it was once known, is no more. In 2020, with COVID-19 raging, over 60 percent of American voters cast early ballots. Even before the pandemic, more than one-third of voters routinely did so. Early voting represents a radical change in American elections. It means new options for voters, new procedures for election clerks, and new challenges for political candidates. Tuesday’s Gone explores the effects of this new reality. Applying new data and innovative methods, I report that early voting is bringing new citizens to the polls. Examining four recent elections, I find that both early in-person and absentee options increase turnout by several points when aggressively implemented by state and local officials. But early voting does come with some side effects, as it can increase down-ballot roll-off, widen racial disparities in voting access, and alter the competitive environment in presidential nomination contests.
The Basics of American Politics
Lively and straightforward, The Basics of American Politics offers a concise and accessible introduction to the nuts and bolts of the American system of government. Throughout this brief, student-friendly text, we employ a dynamic game metaphor to engage students in the basics of American government and the contact sport of politics. This affordable text is especially ideal for advanced placement courses, community colleges, and international programs in American Studies.​
