Minority Representation and the Quest for Voting Equality

by Bernard Grofman, Lisa Handley, Richard G. Niemi

Overview

This book is the most up-to-date treatment of voting rights law and the numerous controversies surrounding minority representation. Written by authors with first-hand experience in the case law, the book details the evolution of the law and precedent from 1965 forward. The authors explain the basic logic underlying the major decisions, introduce the reader to the procedures for establishing standards of representation and measuring discrimination, and discuss the major points of recent contention. In the concluding chapter, the authors address the implications of the recent developments in voting rights law for the future of representation in America.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780521391283
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	08/28/1992
Pages:	188
Product dimensions:	6.26(w) x 9.29(h) x 0.59(d)

Table of Contents

Introduction; 1. The right to vote and the right to representation; 2. The evolution of a vote dilution standard through 1986; 3. The vote dilution standard in the post-Gingles era: clarifications and complications in the lower courts; 4. Defining and measuring racially polarized voting and other elements of the totality of the circumstances; 5. Vote dillution in single-memberdistricts and other issues of the 1990s; 6. The voting rights act and the realistic politics of second best: an optimistic look to the future; Index.

Editorial Reviews

"This is the best single book on contemporary voting rights law. It combines a comprehensive survey with a balanced discussion of unsettled issues. Its technical discussions are both thorough and accessible. Scholars, litigators, and judges will all benefit from its insights." Pamela S. Karlan, University of Virginia

"The authors write succinctly, judiciously, and authoritatively." Paul E. Peterson, Harvard University

"Grofman, Handley and Niemi have written an important book about a crucial yet little understood aspect of American electoral politics. Students of American politics cannot afford to be ignorant of the problems addressed in this book, and the authors have provided a balanced and sophisticated treatment that thoroughly illuminates the issues, interests, and controversies." Robert Huckfeldt, Indiana University

"A useful primer on contemporary voting rights issues. The authors break down complex concepts and make easy reading of legal cases, political theory, and social science research." Lani Guinier, University of Pennsylvania

"Grofman, Handley, and Niemi explain how to provide more careful and data-sensitive interpretations of results from ecological analyses. Indeed, their well written book should clarify misunderstandings regarding the purpose of the Voting Rights Act and its impact as well as reduce unintentional misinterpretations of race annd voting patterns by political analysts." Political Science Quarterly

"Grofman, Handley, and Niemi have written a very useful descriptive and historical analysis of the litigation surrounding the 1965 Voting Rights Act and its subsequent amendments....should be read by anyone interested in learning more about the role of social scientists as expert witnesses and about the pre-1990s voting rights cases." Carol M. Swain, American Political Science Review

From the Publisher