The 2000 presidential race resulted in the highest-profile ballot battle in over a century. But it is far from the only American election determined by a handful of votes and marred by claims of fraud. Since the founding of the nation, violence frequently erupted as the votes were being counted, and more than a few elections produced manifestly unfair results. Despite America's claim to be the world's greatest democracy, its adherence to the basic tenets of democratic elections-the ability to count ballots accurately and ...
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The 2000 presidential race resulted in the highest-profile ballot battle in over a century. But it is far from the only American election determined by a handful of votes and marred by claims of fraud. Since the founding of the nation, violence frequently erupted as the votes were being counted, and more than a few elections produced manifestly unfair results. Despite America's claim to be the world's greatest democracy, its adherence to the basic tenets of democratic elections-the ability to count ballots accurately and fairly even when the stakes are high-has always been shaky. A rigged gubernatorial election in New York in 1792 nearly ended in calls for another revolution, and an 1899 gubernatorial race even resulted in an assassination. Though acts of violence have decreased in frequency over the past century, fairness and accuracy in ballot counting nonetheless remains a basic problem in American political life. In Ballot Battles, Edward Foley presents a sweeping history of election controversies in the United States, tracing how their evolution generated legal precedents that ultimately transformed how we determine who wins and who loses. While weaving a narrative spanning over two centuries, Foley repeatedly returns to an originating event: because the Founding Fathers despised parties and never envisioned the emergence of a party system, they wrote a constitution that did not provide clear solutions for high-stakes and highly-contested elections in which two parties could pool resources against one another. Moreover, in the American political system that actually developed, politicians are beholden to the parties which they represent - and elected officials have typically had an outsized say in determining the outcomes of extremely close elections that involve recounts. This underlying structural problem, more than anything else, explains why intense ballot battles that leave one side feeling aggrieved will continue to occur for the foreseeable future. American democracy has improved dramatically over the last two centuries. But the same cannot be said for the ways in which we determine who wins the very close races. From the founding until today, there has been little progress toward fixing the problem. Indeed, supporters of John Jay in 1792 and opponents of Lyndon Johnson in the 1948 Texas Senate race would find it easy to commiserate with Al Gore after the 2000 election. Ballot Battles is not only the first full chronicle of contested elections in the US. It also provides a powerful explanation of why the American election system has been-and remains-so ineffective at deciding the tightest races in a way that all sides will agree is fair.
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Add this copy of Ballot Battles: the History of Disputed Elections in to cart. $10.00, very good condition, Sold by Montana Book Company rated 3.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Fond du Lac, WI, UNITED STATES, published 2016 by Oxford University Press.
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Very Good. Very Good Dust Jacket. 1st Printing. 8vo-over 7¾-9¾" tall. pp. 479. 479 pp. Tightly bound. Corners not bumped. Text is free of markings. Very good dust jacket. Owner's name / blind stamp front end paper. First Edition / First Printing. 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 8, 6, 4, 2.
Add this copy of Ballot Battles: The History of Disputed Elections in to cart. $16.00, good condition, Sold by jws rated 3.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Homer, AK, UNITED STATES, published 2016 by Oxford University Press, USA.
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Good in good dust jacket. Ex-library. Sewn binding. Cloth over boards. 494 p. Audience: General/trade. cover and pages in good condition. ex library book
Add this copy of Ballot Battles: the History of Disputed Elections in to cart. $16.70, good condition, Sold by Friends of the Johnson Co Lib rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Lenexa, KS, UNITED STATES, published 2016 by Oxford University Press, USA.
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Good. Ex-library hardcover with stickers and labels but otherwise appears only lightly used. The dust jacket is protected with a mylar covering. The pages appear to be clean and unmarked. All items ship Monday-Saturday-Fast Shipping in a secure package. Your purchase will help support the programs and collections of the Johnson County (Kansas) Library.
Add this copy of Ballot Battles the History of Disputed Elections in the to cart. $18.00, like new condition, Sold by Dr.Bookman-Cardboard Packed rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Pittsburgh, PA, UNITED STATES, published 2016 by Oxford University Press.
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As New in As New dust jacket. 0190235276. This specific hardback book is in like new condition with a hard board cover that has sharp edges and corners and has a tight binding. The pages are clean, crisp, unmarked and uncreased. The dust jacket is in fine condition with little wear if any but has a bit of minor soiling. We package all books in custom cardboard book boxes for shipment and ship daily with tracking numbers.; "American democracy has improved dramatically over the last two centuries. But the same cannot be said for the ways in which we determine who wins the very close races. From the founding until today, there has been little progress toward fixing the problem. Indeed, supporters of John Jay in 1792 and opponents of Lyndon Johnson in the 1948 Texas Senate race would find it easy to commiserate with Al Gore after the 2000 election. Ballot Battles is not only the first full chronicle of contested elections in the US. It also provides a powerful explanation of why the American election system has been-and remains-so ineffective at deciding the tightest races in a way that all sides will agree is fair."; 9.3 X 6.3 X 1.5 inches; 494 pages.
