Reforming the Electoral Process in America

Brian L. Fife is professor of public affairs at Indiana University-Purdue University, Fort Wayne, Fort Wayne, IN.

Recommended. All readership levels.

• TablesAcknowledgments1. History of Electoral Reform Efforts in AmericaArticles of Confederation and Perpetual UnionPhiladelphia ConventionEarly Reform MeasuresPassage of the Fifteenth AmendmentPassage of the Nineteenth AmendmentOther Progressive Era Electoral Changes, 1890–1920The Poll Tax in the United StatesThe Voting Rights Act of 1965The Twenty-Sixth AmendmentNational Voter Registration Act of 1993Help America Vote Act of 2002Summary2. Voting Laws in the American StatesElection Laws in the StatesFederalism and Political CultureSummary3. Voter Turnout in the American StatesMeasuring Concepts in the Social SciencesMeasuring Voter Turnout in a Reasonable and Functional MannerNational Voter Turnout in U.S. Presidential ElectionsNational Voter Turnout in U.S. Midterm ElectionsVoter Turnout in the Free WorldSummary4. The Electoral College and the Framers in PhiladelphiaArticle II of the U.S. ConstitutionThe Twelfth AmendmentThe Debate About Presidential Selection at the Philadelphia ConventionSummary5. Money and Elections in AmericaMoney in Presidential ElectionsMoney in Congressional ElectionsHistory of Campaign Finance Reform in the United StatesSummary6. The Path to Enhanced Democracy: A Blueprint for Electoral Reform in the United StatesThe Importance of Theory in American Politics and PolicyThe Importance of Studying History in American Politics and PolicyAmending the Federal ConstitutionA Word About the Original Intent DebateThe Constitution as a "Living Document"—The Notion of Active LibertyActive Liberty in PracticeThe Importance of Constitutional InterpretationA Blueprint for Electoral ReformA Final WordNotesBibliographyIndex