Democracy requires conversations about how its practice can be improved. This is an enduring theme in American politics, and demands for change in how we conduct elections are highly salient today. The crisis of the 2000 presidential election generated demands for changes in election rules, but the response was muted. After 2000, several states adopted photo ID laws, and other rules that made it more difficult to vote. The 2010 Citizens United decision heralded in deregulation of campaign finance. The Voting Rights Act was weakened by The Court in 2013. More recently, the unprecedented presidential election of 2016 generated accusations from the left and right that America’s elections were ‘a rigged system’ of caucuses, conventions, and campaign finance desperately in need of reforms. Changing How America Votes is an edited volume comprised of 15 short substantive chapters on various specific reform topics that examine how electoral democracy in the United States is working, and how it might be improved. Editor Todd Donovan has written brief introductory and concluding chapters, and very brief introductions to the following three thematic sections that divide the readings accordingly: Voting and Participation: Changing Who Votes; Electoral Rules and Systems: Changing How We Vote; and Changing the Role of Parties and Money. In order to facilitate student learning and assist instructors’ ability to use the book, this edited volume reads as a coherent text. The contributors, many of whom are accomplished scholars, or who write frequent blog posts and Op-Ed pieces, were asked to write as accessibly as possible for an undergraduate audience, and address many of the following topics: • Why is this issue important? • What would a proposed reform look like? • What are arguments in favor of the proposal? • Is there evidence it might make a difference, and what difference would it make? • Beyond the evidence, is it the right thing to do? List of contributors: Joseph Anthony, Lonna Rae Atkeson, Matt Barreto , Brian Brox, Barry C. Burden, Jason S. Byers, Jamie L. Carson, Jason P. Casellas, Kellen Gracey, Wendy L. Hansen, Ron Hayduk, Jordan Hsu, David C. Kimball, Vladimir Kogan, Martha Kropf, Eric McGhee, Stephen Nuño, Drew Spencer Penrose, Rob Richie, Gabriel Sanchez, Shane P. Singh, Caroline J. Tolbert, Hannah Walker, Holly Whisman, and Kenicia Wright

This book is a snapshot of America's voting and electoral practices, problems, and most current issues. The book addresses a variety of fundamental areas concerning election law from a federal perspective such as the Help America Vote Act, lessons learned from the 2000 and 2004 presidential elections, voter identification, and demographic and statistical experts in election litigation, and more. It is a useful guide for lawyers as well as law school professors, election officials, state and local government personnel, and election workers.

"An expert on US election law presents an encouraging assessment of current efforts to make our voting system more accessible, reliable, and effective"--

The authors of this prizewinning and best selling book on electoral behavior have brought their study up-to-date with a trenchant analysis of the 1976 presidential election. Once more by carefully analyzing national voting patterns, they give substantive meaning to statistics and figures.

Helping America Vote is focused on the conflict between values of access and integrity in U.S. election administration, examining both what was included in the Help America Vote Act, and what was not. Widespread agreement that voting equipment was a problem made technology the centerpiece of the legislation, but, there is still reason to be concerned about key aspects of electronic voting, ballot design, and the politics of partisan administrators.

The GOP’s leading millennial pollster offers an eye-opening look at America’s shifting demographics and reveals how these changes will affect future elections. The American electorate is undergoing a radical transformation. Cultural factors are reshaping how a new generation of voters considers issues. Demographic shifts are creating an increasingly diverse electorate, and technological advances are opening new avenues for voter contact and persuasion. Kristen Soltis Anderson examines these hot-topic trends and how they are influencing the way youth, women, and minorities vote. Blending observations from focus groups, personal stories, and polling results, the Republican pollster offers key insights into the changing nature of American politics. The Selfie Vote introduces you to tech-savvy political consultants and shows you how these hip young pollsters and consultants are using data mining and social media to transform electoral politics—including tracking your purchasing history. Make some purchases at a high-end culinary store? Crave sushi? Your choices outside the ballot box can reveal how you might vote. And anyone interested in the future of politics should know where these cultural trends are heading. Data-driven yet highly readable, The Selfie Vote busts established myths about campaigns and elections while offering insights about what’s ahead—and what it could mean for American politics and governance.