Description: This book tells the story of how the way in which we conduct elections has changed after the Florida recount litigation of 2000. Some of the nation's leading experts look at various aspects of election administration, including issues of ballot format, changes in registration procedures, the growth in the availability of absentee ballot rules and other forms of "convenience voting," and changes in the technology used to record our votes. They also look at how the Bush v. Gore decision has been used by courts that monitor the election process and at the consequences of changes in practice for levels of invalid ballots, magnitude of racial disparities in voting, voter turnout, and access to the ballot by those living outside the United States. The editors, in their introduction, also consider the normative question of exactly what we want a voting system to do. An epilogue by two leading election law specialists looks at how election administration and election contest issues played out in the 2012 presidential election.
Brief description: R. Michael Alvarez is Professor of Political Science at the California Institute of Technology. He earned his BA from Carleton College and his PhD from Duke University. He is the author of numerous books, including Evaluating Elections: A Handbook of Methods and Standards (Cambridge University Press, 2012).
Review Quotes: "Bush v. Gore was a momentous case not only for its direct political consequences, but also because it helped to expose the many flaws in America's antiquated and idiosyncratic electoral system. This book describes and analyzes the progress and frustrations associated with efforts to fix the U.S. election system since the 2000 election drawing upon legal, administrative, political, and democratic theory experts. It is not only a significant work of scholarship from major election law figures. Just as importantly, it offers useful lessons about political reform for those who seek to change the U.S. system in the future."
Bruce E. Cain, Stanford University