Elections

By passing the Voting Rights Act of 1965, Congress challenged the widespread evidence of disfranchisement of black citizens in certain southern states. This Act protects citizens' right to vote by forbidding covered states from using any tests that would determine eligibility to vote, by requiring these states to obtain federal approval before enacting any election laws and by assigning federal officials to monitor the registration process in certain localities.

This first of its kind, award winning reference book chronicles important leaders and events in women's struggle to obtain the vote worldwide.

Tova Andrea Wang examines the history of how U.S. election reforms have been manipulated for partisan advantage and establishes a new framework for analyzing current laws and policies. The tactics that have been employed to suppress voting in recent elections are not novel, she finds, but rather build upon the strategies used by a variety of actors going back nearly a century and a half.

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.

The third edition of America Votes! is a timely resource for Sawyers, professors, election officials, and administrators, providing a snapshot of key election and voting rights issues from practitioners highly experienced in a wide variety of areas.