Rethinking the Vote The Politics and Prospects of American Election Reform

S. This timely collection of essays begins and ends with questions about the prospects and possibilities for reform.Maintaining at least the perception of fairness and equal access during elections assures the legitimacy of a democratic system. The United States in particular prides itself on its open and honest voting laws and procedures. But the extraordinary closeness of the 2000 presidential election triggered a rare scrutiny of the ordinary election processes. The 2000 election revealed problems with ballot design and order; access to the polls; the training and conduct of election workers; voting machines; vote counting and recounting procedures; absentee, military, and overseas ballots; election laws and the Electoral College; judicial oversight of the voting process; as well as with political polling in general, exit polls in particular, media projections and reporting, and even the election night "calling" of outcomes. If the Emperor had any clothes at all, they were tattered at best. Rethinking the Vote: The Politics and Prospects of American Election Reform centers on what can and should be learned from the 2000 election about the processes of voting. Rather than rehashing the past, this book puts forth a constructive effort to learn from what transpired to point towards a better future. This book examines the legal, political, and institutional problems of administering elections in the United States and the possibilities and prospects for reform.