Customer Reviews

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

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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.

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.

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).