Partisan Gerrymandering and the Construction of American Democracy - read free eBook in online reader or directly download on the web page. Select files or add your book in reader. Download and read online ebook Partisan Gerrymandering and the Construction of American Democracy write by Erik J. Engstrom. This book was released on 2013-09-30. Partisan Gerrymandering and the Construction of American Democracy available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Erik J. Engstrom offers a historical perspective on the effects of gerrymandering on elections and party control of the U.S. national legislature. Aside from the requirements that districts be continuous and, after 1842, that each select only one representative, there were few restrictions on congressional districting. Unrestrained, state legislators drew and redrew districts to suit their own partisan agendas. With the rise of the “one-person, one-vote” doctrine and the implementation of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, however, redistricting became subject to court oversight. Engstrom evaluates the abundant cross-sectional and temporal variation in redistricting plans and their electoral results from all the states, from 1789 through the 1960s, to identify the causes and consequences of partisan redistricting. His analysis reveals that districting practices across states and over time systematically affected the competitiveness of congressional elections; shaped the partisan composition of congressional delegations; and, on occasion, determined party control of the House of Representatives.
Drawing the Lines
Drawing the Lines - read free eBook in online reader or directly download on the web page. Select files or add your book in reader. Download and read online ebook Drawing the Lines write by Nicholas R. Seabrook. This book was released on 2017-02-07. Drawing the Lines available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Radical redistricting plans, such as that pushed through by Texas governor Rick Perry in 2003, are frequently used for partisan purposes. Perry's plan sent twenty-one Republicans (and only eleven Democrats) to Congress in the 2004 elections. Such heavy-handed tactics strike many as contrary to basic democratic principles. In Drawing the Lines, Nicholas R. Seabrook uses a combination of political science methods and legal studies insights to investigate the effects of redistricting on U.S. House elections. He concludes that partisan gerrymandering poses far less of a threat to democratic accountability than conventional wisdom would suggest.Building on a large data set of the demographics of redrawn districts and subsequent congressional elections, Seabrook looks less at the who and how of gerrymandering and considers more closely the practical effects of partisan redistricting plans. He finds that the redrawing of districts often results in no detrimental effect for district-level competition. Short-term benefits in terms of capturing seats are sometimes achieved but long-term results are uncertain. By focusing on the end results rather than on the motivations of political actors, Seabrook seeks to recast the political debate about the importance of partisanship. He supports institutionalizing metrics for competitiveness that would prove more threatening to all incumbents no matter their party affiliation.
Gerrymandering in America
Gerrymandering in America - read free eBook in online reader or directly download on the web page. Select files or add your book in reader. Download and read online ebook Gerrymandering in America write by Anthony J. McGann. This book was released on 2016-04-04. Gerrymandering in America available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. This book considers the political and constitutional consequences of Vieth v. Jubelirer (2004), where the Supreme Court held that partisan gerrymandering challenges could no longer be adjudicated by the courts. Through a rigorous scientific analysis of US House district maps, the authors argue that partisan bias increased dramatically in the 2010 redistricting round after the Vieth decision, both at the national and state level. From a constitutional perspective, unrestrained partisan gerrymandering poses a critical threat to a central pillar of American democracy, popular sovereignty. State legislatures now effectively determine the political composition of the US House. The book answers the Court's challenge to find a new standard for gerrymandering that is both constitutionally grounded and legally manageable. It argues that the scientifically rigorous partisan symmetry measure is an appropriate legal standard for partisan gerrymandering, as it logically implies the constitutional right to individual equality and can be practically applied.
Partisan Gerrymandering and the Construction of American Democracy
Partisan Gerrymandering and the Construction of American Democracy - read free eBook in online reader or directly download on the web page. Select files or add your book in reader. Download and read online ebook Partisan Gerrymandering and the Construction of American Democracy write by Erik J. Engstrom. This book was released on 2013-09-30. Partisan Gerrymandering and the Construction of American Democracy available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Since the nation’s founding, the strategic manipulation of congressional districts has influenced American politics and public policy
Partisan Hostility and American Democracy
Partisan Hostility and American Democracy - read free eBook in online reader or directly download on the web page. Select files or add your book in reader. Download and read online ebook Partisan Hostility and American Democracy write by James N. Druckman. This book was released on 2024-06-12. Partisan Hostility and American Democracy available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. An unflinching examination of the effects and boundaries of partisan animosity. For generations, experts argued that American politics needed cohesive parties to function effectively. Now many fear that strong partisan views, particularly hostility to the opposing party, are damaging democracy. Is partisanship as dangerous as we fear it is? To provide an answer, this book offers a nuanced evaluation of when and how partisan animosity matters in today’s highly charged, dynamic political environment, drawing on panel data from some of the most tumultuous years in recent American history, 2019 through 2021. The authors show that partisanship powerfully shapes political behaviors, but its effects are conditional, not constant. Instead, it is most powerful when politicians send clear signals and when an issue is unlikely to bring direct personal consequences. In the absence of these conditions, other factors often dominate decision-making. The authors argue that while partisan hostility has degraded US politics—for example, politicizing previously non-political issues and undermining compromise—it is not in itself an existential threat. As their research shows, the future of American democracy depends on how politicians, more than ordinary voters, behave.
