John Berg's Book
Reviews
Election law reform
Why do we have a two-party monopoly? Not because of the stupidity
of voters, but because of the undemocratic nature of our election laws,
specifically the near-universal use of single-member districts with plurality
voting. Put simply, this system means that any point of view held
by as many as 20 or 30 percent of the voters will not be represented at
all. In contrast, proportional representation
would let groups of voters be represented according to their actual size.
Here are some good books about PR.
-
Douglas J. Amy, Real
Choices/New Voices : The Case for Proportional Representation Elections
in the United States (1995) is the best single book about the case
for proportional representation in the United States. I recommend
it highly. You can get his 46 page pamphlet, Proportional
Representation: The Case for a Better Election System, from the Center
for Voting and Democracy site.
-
Kathleen L. Barber et al., Proportional
Representation and Election Reform in Ohio (1995) is a study of the
use of proportional representation in five Ohio cities during the Progressive
era. Barber and her associates show that PR was successful in letting
ethnic minorities into the political system, and did not lead to political
instability, but was ultimately defeated by elitist interests. Unfortunately,
the book is currently available only in a high-priced hardcover edition,
so you may prefer to ask your library to get it.
-
Arend Lijphart, Electoral
Systems and Party Systems : A Study of Twenty-Seven Democracies 1945-1990
(1995) is a detailed study of the impact of election laws and party systems,
documenting the proposition I stated above--sometimes known as "Duverger's
law"--that single-member plurality voting gives rise to two-party systems,
and exploring that law's nuances.
-
Bernard Grofman and Arend Lijphart, Electoral
Laws and Their Political Consequences (1986) is an older exploration
of the same topic.
-
Bernard Grofman, Controversies
in Minority Voting : The Voting Rights Act in Perspective (1992) looks
at the whole issue of racism in congressional elections, and compares proportional
representation with the current system of racial gerrymandering as a solution
to the problem.
-
Lani Guinier, The
Tyranny of the Majority : Fundamental Fairness in Representative Democracy
(1995) hardly needs an introduction. Guinier's nomination to be Assistant
Attorney General was withdrawn because President Clinton thought her views
on proportional representation to be too eccentric. In this book
she makes a strong case for using PR, rather than racial quotas, to bring
fairness to our political system.
-
Wilma Rule and Joseph F. Zimmerman, eds., Electoral
Systems in Comparative Perspective : Their Impact on Women and Minorities
(1994) -- unfortunately, available only in high-priced hardcover -- shows
that countries with PR systems also have much higher inclusion of both
women and ethnic minorities in elected office.
-
Wilma Rule and Joseph F. Zimmerman, eds., United
States Electoral Systems : Their Impact on Women and Minorities (1992)
an older and much cheaper book, makes the same case for the United States.
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Revised July 9, 1998