Why Americans Still Don't Vote: And Why Politicians Want It That WayAmericans take for granted that ours is the very model of a democracy. At the core of this belief is the assumption that the right to vote is firmly established. But in fact, the United States is the only major democratic nation in which the less well-off, the young, and minorities are substantially underrepresented in the electorate. Frances Fox Piven and Richard A. Cloward were key players in the long battle to reform voter registration laws that finally resulted in the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 (also known as the Motor Voter law). When Why Americans Don't Vote was first published in 1988, this battle was still raging, and their book was a fiery salvo. It demonstrated that the twentieth century had witnessed a concerted effort to restrict voting by immigrants and blacks through a combination of poll taxes, literacy tests, and unwieldy voter registration requirements. Why Americans Still Don't Vote brings the story up to the present. Analyzing the results of voter registration reform, and drawing compelling historical parallels, Piven and Cloward reveal why neither of the major parties has tried to appeal to the interests of the newly registered-and thus why Americans still don't vote. |
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Contents
The Demobilization of | 21 |
Party Competition | 24 |
The Mobilization and Demobilization | 45 |
How Demobilization Was Accomplished | 72 |
The Decline of the New Deal Party System | 108 |
Experiment in Democracy | 137 |
Electoral Mobilization | 171 |
Barriers or Mobilization? | 184 |
The States as Laboratories of Democracy | 205 |
Federal Reform | 222 |
Remobilization? | 261 |
| 307 | |
Acknowledgments | 327 |
Other editions - View all
Why Americans Still Don't Vote: And Why Politicians Want It That Way Frances Fox Piven No preview available - 2000 |
Why Americans Still Don't Vote: And Why Politicians Want It That Way Frances Fox Piven No preview available - 2000 |
Common terms and phrases
active administration agencies American appeals associated barriers became began bill Burnham called campaign changes chapter cities civil rights close coalition competition Deal decades decline Democratic party early economic effects efforts election electoral emerged especially example fact farmers federal force forms governors groups helped Human SERVE important increase industrial influence interests issues labor laws leaders least legislation less levels machines major ment Michigan million minority mobilization motor movement nineteenth century North northern offices organizations participation percent percentage period points political polls poor popular possible president presidential Press procedures programs protest rates reach reason reform reported Republican restrictions result rise rules Senate showed social South southern staff strategy tion turn turnout unions United urban voter registration voting welfare workers working-class York
Bibliographic information
| Title | Why Americans Still Don't Vote: And Why Politicians Want It That Way Volume 8 of New Democracy Forum |
| Author | Frances Fox Piven |
| Editor | Joshua Cohen |
| Edition | revised |
| Publisher | Beacon Press, 2000 |
| ISBN | 0807004499, 9780807004494 |
| Length | 352 pages |
| Subjects | › › Political Science / History & Theory Political Science / Political Ideologies / Democracy Political Science / Political Process / Campaigns & Elections |
| Export Citation | BiBTeX EndNote RefMan |