Why Americans Still Don't Vote: And Why Politicians Want It That Way (New Democracy Forum) [Paperback]

Frances Fox Piven (Author), Joshua Cohen (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 22, 2000 | ISBN-10: 0807004499 | ISBN-13: 978-0807004494 | Edition: Rev Upd Su

Americans 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.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Intriguing and troubling. . . . A challenging and informative introduction to one of the burning questions of contemporary American politics.--T. R. Reid, The Washington Post Book World

"It is hard to read [Piven-Cloward] without recognizing that our system, if not entirely 'broke,' has been historically skewed in favor of more privileged voters and vote influencers." --Garry Wills, The New York Review of Books

"An important and fascinating analysis." --Los Angeles Times Book Review

"Genuinely illuminating, offering a clear picture to reformers of what they are up against, and why." --Walter Dean Burnham, The New Republic

"Piven and Cloward have written the definitive work on voter registration and its implications for our politics, our elections and our government." --John W. Douglas, Philadelphia Inquirer

About the Author

Frances Fox Piven and Richard A. Cloward are coauthors of Regulating the Poor, The Politics of Turmoil, Poor People's Movements, and many other books. They are the corecipients of the 2000 American Sociological Association Distinguished Career Award for the Practice of Sociology.

Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Beacon Press; Rev Upd Su edition (September 22, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0807004499
• ISBN-13: 978-0807004494
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.8 x 8.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #177,069 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Frances Fox Piven is Distinguished Professor of Political Science and Sociology
at The Graduate Center, CUNY, and the author of the bestselling Poor People's Movements, Regulating the Poor, and Why Americans Don't Vote (with the late
Richard A. Cloward), as well as The War At Home, Keeping Down the Black Vote, and many other books. She lives in New York City.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Eye-Opening, November 1, 2000

By 

C. Alexander (Chicago, IL USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Why Americans Still Don't Vote: And Why Politicians Want It That Way (New Democracy Forum) (Paperback)

Piven and Cloward offer an intelligent, yet readable discussion on the downsizing of the American electorate. They claim that having low voter participation helps the controlling factions of the political parties remain unthreatened. They include a history of voter participation and representation in all levels of American politics and the factors that still leave some groups underrepresented today. A very insightful and enjoyable read.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars interesting discussion of decreasing voter participation, April 2, 2002

By 

Jason W. Atwell "Business instructor" (Marion, VA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Why Americans Still Don't Vote: And Why Politicians Want It That Way (New Democracy Forum) (Paperback)

Great book revolving around the Moter Voter legislation passed in the 1990's. Piven and Cloward discuss the declining voter participation in the American democracy, attributing that decline to the parties demobilization of the American electorate and inability to remobilize. The authors argue that the declining voter participation is related to the lack of adequate and effective legislation, declining union membership, declining worker benefits and bargaining ability with free trade, and the exploitation of one class against another. The authors assert that the Democratic and Republican parties have no intention in actually remobilizing the electorate as new voters will change the current political game and add uncertainty to the incumbents reelections.

8 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Why Americans Really Don't Vote, February 4, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Why Americans Still Don't Vote: And Why Politicians Want It That Way (New Democracy Forum) (Paperback)

Piven and Cloward continue to avoid the real causes and consequences of low turnout. "Why Americans Still Don't Vote," as with their other works, is motivated not by intellectual curiosity, but a political agenda. For those unsatisfied by this polemic, see Wolfinger and Rosenstone (1980) or Ruy Teixeira (1987 and 1992).