U.S. Voting and Elections: Print Resources

From the book jacket: "'Elections A to Z' explores the process that is the foundation of a democracy--the election of the people's representatives. In lively, nontechnical language, the articles discuss the steps from a candidate's initial decision to run for office to the counting of the votes. Topics covered include election for president, Congress, and some statewide offices; the roles played by parties, the media, and political consultants; milestones in electoral history; and the scandals that have always been a part of the story. Voting rights and the struggle to expand the suffrage in the United States are also discussed."

From Amazon.com:
"From the best-selling author of A Vast Conspiracy and The Run of His Life comes Too Close to Call--the definitive story of the Bush-Gore presidential recount. A political and legal analyst of unparalleled journalistic skill, Jeffrey Toobin is the ideal writer to distill the events of the thirty-six anxiety-filled days that culminated in one of the most stunning Supreme Court decisions in history."

From Amazon.com: "The bitter 1876 contest between Ohio Republican Governor Rutherford B. Hayes and New York Democratic Governor Samuel Tilden was the most sensational and corrupt presidential election in American history. It was also, in many ways, the final battle of the Civil War. Although Tilden received some 265, 000 more popular votes than his opponent, and needed only one more electoral vote for victory, contested returns in three southern states still under Republican-controlled Reconstruction governments ultimately led to Hayes's being declared the winner after four tense months of brazen political intrigue and threats of violence that brought armed troops into the streets of the nation's capital. In this major work of popular history and scholarship, Roy Morris, Jr., takes readers to Philadelphia in America's centennial year, where millions celebrated the nation's industrial might and democratic ideals; to the nation's heartland, where Republicans refought the Civil War by waging a cynical "bloody shirt" campaign to tar the Democrats as the party of disunion and rebellion; and finally into the smoke-filled back rooms of Washington, D.C., where the will of the people was thwarted and the newly won rights of four million former slaves were ignored, leading to nearly ninety years of legalized segregation in the South."

From Amazon.com:
Politicians spew shallow words describing a self-governing American people, who select their representatives. In reality, politicians maintain power by selecting voters. Elected officials and bureaucrats control thousands of election practices―from district boundaries to English-only ballots―that determine political winners and losers. Through real-life stories, Spencer Overton shows how these practices determine policies on issues that shape our lives, and he provides strategies for restoring government by the people. Overton's compelling case is vital to the future of our democracy."

From Amazon.com:
More of a "must-do" book than a "how-to" book, How to Win a Local Election guides readers through the campaign process detailing what they need to accomplish along the way in order to be victorious. Here you will find information on planning and organizing a campaign; how to run as an independent candidate; the various roles of people in your compaign; campaign procedures and techniques; and how to use computers, the internet, and emails to both manipulate and disseminate data. The book also offers useful advice on issues from financial reporting to developing a campaign theme and strategy, how to win "one precinct at a time," and even offers tips on such fundamental tasks as the creation and placement of yardsigns and billboards."

"Summary: The 1800 presidential election, the last great contest of the founding period, was so convulsive and so momentous for American democracy that Jefferson would later dub it "America's second revolution." America's first true presidential campaign gave birth to our two-party system and etched the lines of partisanship that have shaped American politics ever since. The contest featured two of our most beloved Founding Fathers, once warm friends, facing off as the heads of their two still-forming parties--the hot-tempered but sharp-minded John Adams, and the eloquent yet enigmatic Thomas Jefferson. Blistering accusations flew: Adams and his elitist Federalists would squelch liberty and impose a British-style monarchy; Jefferson and his radically democratizing Republicans would throw the country into chaos and debase the role of religion in American life. Historian Larson vividly re-creates the tension as Congress was forced to meet in closed session to resolve the outcome.--From publisher description."

From Amazon.com: "Almost President profiles a dozen men who have run for the American presidency and lost—but who, even in defeat, have had a greater impact on American history than many of those who have served as president. Scott Farris tells us the stories of legendary figures from Henry Clay to Stephen Douglas, William Jennings Bryan to Thomas Dewey. He also includes mini-profiles on every major candidate nominated for president who never reached the White House but who helped ensure the success of American democracy.
Farris explains how Barry Goldwater achieved the party realignment that had eluded FDR, how George McGovern paved the way for Barack Obama, and how Ross Perot changed the way all presidential candidates campaign. There is Al Smith, the first Catholic nominee for president; and Adlai Stevenson, the candidate of the “eggheads” who remains the beau ideal of a liberal statesman. Others covered by this book include Al Gore, John Kerry, and John McCain. The mini profiles also include evocative portraits of such men as John C. Fremont, the first Republican Party presidential candidate; and General Winfield Scott, whose loss helped guarantee the Union victory in the Civil War."

From the book jacket: "The 2012 election was unpredictable, entertaining, and ultimately decisive, a two-year drama with a sprawling cast of characters and plot twists that kept even expert observers dazed and confused. ..'Collision 2012' tells the whole story in all its richness--Obama's political reawakening after the debt ceiling debacke in the summer of 2011; the long and often bizarre battle survived to win the Republican nomination; the world of Big Data in Obama's Chicago headquarters, which produced the most sophisticated campaign in the history of presidential politics; and Romney's travails as a candidate often at odds with his own party."

From the book jacket:
"This helpful guide offers a fascinating look at the origins of the U.S. government, our national policies, political parties, and other key forces that drive our nation. In it, you get:
* A primer on the principles of government, the U.S. Constitution, and federalism.
* An overview of the political process in America and how public policy is formed.
* An exploration of political campaigns and ways candidates are selected.
* A study of the legislative, judicial, and executive branches.
* A review of how the media and operational interest groups play a role in democracy.

From Amazon.com:
"Democracy for Realists assails the romantic folk-theory at the heart of contemporary thinking about democratic politics and government, and offers a provocative alternative view grounded in the actual human nature of democratic citizens....Achen and Bartels argue that democratic theory needs to be founded on identity groups and political parties, not on the preferences of individual voters. Now with new analysis of the 2016 elections, Democracy for Realists provides a powerful challenge to conventional thinking, pointing the way toward a fundamentally different understanding of the realities and potential of democratic government."

From the book jacket: "Whistlestop tells the human story of nervous gambits hatched in first-floor hotel rooms, failures of will before the microphone, and the cross-country crack-ups of long-planned stratagems. At the bar at the end of a campaign day, these are the stories reporters rehash for themselves and embellish for newcomers. "Whistlestop is a ride through the American campaign history with one of its most enthusiastic conductors pointing out the landmarks along the way."

From Amazon.com: "Packed with exclusive photojournalism and new revelations straight from the front lines, Unprecedented: The Election That Changed Everything chronicles the most hard- fought and newsworthy election of our time. The book tells the full story of the 2016 U.S. presidential campaign, as a Republican field of seventeen candidates battled it out until one remained: a blustery billionaire and reality TV star with no respect for the rules of politics and no fear of offending people. Across the aisle, Democrats witnessed a showdown between an unlikely populist hero in Sen. Bernie Sanders and the more well-known establishment candidate, Hillary Clinton, who was hobbled by scandal in her second attempt to become America’s first woman president."

From Amazon.com: "Countless books have been written about the civil rights movement, but far less attention has been paid to what happened after the dramatic passage of the Voting Rights Act in 1965 and the turbulent forces it unleashed. In this groundbreaking narrative history, Ari Berman charts both the transformation of American democracy under the VRA and the counterrevolution that has sought to limit it from the moment the act was signed into law. The VRA is widely regarded as the crowning achievement of the civil rights movement, and yet―more than fifty years later―the battles over race, representation, and political power continue, as lawmakers devise new strategies to keep minorities out of the voting booth, while the Supreme Court has declared a key part of the Voting Rights Act unconstitutional.

Through meticulous research, in-depth interviews, and incisive on-the-ground reporting, Give Us the Ballot offers the first comprehensive history of its kind, and provides new insight into one of the most vital political and civil rights issues of our time."

From Amazon.com:
"Beautiful Country Burn Again narrates a shocking year in American politics, moving from the early days of the Iowa Caucus to the crystalizing moments of the Democratic and Republican national conventions, and culminating in the aftershocks of the weeks following election night. Along the way, Fountain probes deeply into history, illuminating the forces and watershed moments of the past that mirror and precipitated the present, from the hollowed-out notion of the American Dream, to Richard Nixon’s southern strategy, to our weaponized new conception of American exceptionalism, to the cult of celebrity that gave rise to Donald Trump."

From Amazon.com: "In her New York Times bestseller White Rage, Carol Anderson laid bare an insidious history of policies that have systematically impeded black progress in America, from 1865 to our combustible present. With One Person, No Vote, she chronicles a related history: the rollbacks to African American participation in the vote since the 2013 Supreme Court decision that eviscerated the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Known as the Shelby ruling, this decision effectively allowed districts with a demonstrated history of racial discrimination to change voting requirements without approval from the Department of Justice.

Focusing on the aftermath of Shelby, Anderson follows the astonishing story of government-dictated racial discrimination unfolding before our very eyes as more and more states adopt voter suppression laws. In gripping, enlightening detail she explains how voter suppression works, from photo ID requirements to gerrymandering to poll closures. In a powerful new afterword, she examines the repercussions of the 2018 midterm elections. And with vivid characters, she explores the resistance: the organizing, activism, and court battles to restore the basic right to vote to all Americans."

From Amazon.com: 'Michael C. Bender, senior White House reporter for the Wall Street Journal, presents a deeply reported account of the 2020 presidential campaign that details how Donald J. Trump became the first incumbent in three decades to lose reelection—and the only one whose defeat culminated in a violent insurrection.

Beginning with President Trump’s first impeachment and ending with his second, FRANKLY, WE DID WIN THIS ELECTION chronicles the inside-the-room deliberations between Trump and his campaign team as they opened 2020 with a sleek political operation built to harness a surge of momentum from a bullish economy, a unified Republican Party, and a string of domestic and foreign policy successes—only to watch everything unravel when fortunes suddenly turned.

FRANKLY, WE DID WIN THIS ELECTION is the inside story of how Trump lost, and the definitive account of his final year in office that draws a straight line from the president’s repeated insistence that he would never lose to the deadly storming of the U.S. Capitol that imperiled one of his most loyal lieutenants—his own vice president.'

From Amazon.com: 'The shocking, definitive account of the 2020 election and the first year of the Biden presidency by two New York Times reporters, exposing the deep fissures within both parties as the country approaches a political breaking point.

This is the authoritative account of an eighteen-month crisis in American democracy that will be seared into the country’s political memory for decades to come. With stunning, in-the-room detail, New York Times reporters Jonathan Martin and Alexander Burns show how both our political parties confronted a series of national traumas, including the coronavirus pandemic, the January 6 attack on the Capitol, and the political brinksmanship of President Biden’s first year in the White House.

Martin and Burns break news on most every page, drawing on hundreds of interviews and never-before-seen documents and recordings from the highest levels of government. The book asks the vitally important (and disturbing) question: can American democracy, as we know it, ever work again?'

Summary: A critical examination of the facts and circumstances surrounding that dark day, THE JANUARY 6 REPORT promises to be the definitive account of what happened, with recommendations from the committee about how to safeguard the future of American democracy.

Using a campaign for mayor as an example, shows the steps involved in an election, from the candidate's speeches and rallies, to the voting booth where every vote counts, to the announcement of the winner.

From the dust jacket: 'Gridlock! Gerrymandering! The Electoral college! How did our government get so complicated? As it turns out, many of the issues we struggle with today have their roots in the creation of the United States Constitution. Husband-and-wife team Cynthis Levinson and Sanford Levinson take us back to the beginnings of this document and show how these fault lines were first introduced - and how their unintended consequences continue to affect us today. The Framers of the Constitution, they remind us, faced many of the same challenges and disputes that we do in the twenty-first century. Sometimes there was conflict, sometimes compromise - and the Framers met most of the challenges with great skill and foresight. Some issues, however, were just too complex or controversial to settle in such a brief time. Today we are still suffering from the consequences of disputes and decisions made in an overheated room in 1787, as a new form of government for our country was being created.'